When No One Hears
by mintaminta
Summary: Draco finds Harry during the early summer months in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever. SLASH! T to start, M rating in later chaps. Please R&R!
1. When No One Hears

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

SLASH! Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

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**Chapter 1 - When No One Hears**

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"You may leave now. Close the door behind you."

"Yes, sir."

Draco sighed heavily and slid down to the cold black marble floors beneath him as soon the heavy mahogany door was firmly closed behind him. These "important" talks with his father were nothing if not draining, and at 8 in the morning they were the last thing he was compelled to do. They mostly consisted of his father's plans for various heinous and evil events, what to do when it came time to be marked… that sort of thing. All of Draco's energies were spent in not laughing whenever his dear old daddy said "I trust you my son, with my life." and that sort of rubbish.

_Fucking mastermind is what he thinks he is… he doesn't even realize that his own son despises him and will turn on him on a whim…_

Draco pleased himself immensely as pictures of his imagined betrayal in his father's time of greatest need danced before his eyes, and as a tiny smile crept up on his pale lips he composed himself and began the long walk downstairs for an early breakfast.

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"I. Am. BORED!" the last word was bellowed so loudly into Harry's ear that he winced involuntarily.

"Then go. And. EAT!" He screamed back at his enormous cousin, and immediately regretted doing so.

_Stay, calm. Do NOT yell at him, you will NOT enjoy the consequences. SHUT. UP. HARRY._ The high temperature had strained Harry's mind beyond all normal self-control. His brow was bathed in sweat, and his entire body screamed for some relief from the unbearable heat. And between Dudley yelling in his ear and his itchy, hot and bothered body, his mouth had done the unthinkable. He had yelled. At Dudley. The sensible voice in his head (that he rarely listened to) spoke up from the shadows of his mind and he thankfully he decided to listen to it.

"If you are bored, go and get yourself some candy in the pantry and have some fun with your friends down at the park. Or at their houses. Or… anywhere really. Just go." He kept his voice completely void of all anger, and dropped his head to avoid showing his dangerously riled cousin the flames shooting behind his emerald eyes.

"Oh, no, you aren't getting off that easily. You _yelled_. At _me._ Mommy and Daddy won't be pleased in the least! And I know about you! Not only are you a freak, you're a fucking _fairy!_" Dudley wobbled all over as threw the word in Harry's face.

"I am not Dudley-Unkins! Just because you think yourself so good looking doesn't mean that the rest of the world does too! You seem like an overfed pig to me, but that's just my opinion." Harry fought off a deep laughter as his cousin paled at the thought.

"So now you like me? I thought it was all your disgusting freak friends, but I'm your _cousin_! I suppose Cedric wasn't enough for you!" Dudley gave a very Malfoy-like smirk at the thought and began to walk away from Harry towards his still open door.

"Firstly, I don't like you in the least; I despise every living inch of you. And secondly my friends. Aren't. FREAKS!" Harry exploded right in Dudley's face and his inner voices yelled at him with all their strength.

_HARRY, STOP NOW! SAY NO MORE! THIS SITUATION CAN BE SALVAGED!_

Dudley virtually giggled in excitement and ran, or more so waddling from the room, quivering with glee.

"Oh, you're in for it now, you queer freak!" he cried and slammed the door in Harry's face.

"Shit. Shit, shit, shit…"

Harry visibly paled at the mere idea that his adoptive parents or just his uncle was going to be given reason to punish him. He paced the room frantically, thinking of ways to escape in the next few moments. Then he stopped and stared intently out his only window as a soft breeze ruffled his raven-black hair. He was sure he had seen a snatch of white, a flash of black. He took a double take out to the lone tree stationed in the backyard, then returned to sit on his lumpy bed.

_You're losing it Harry. You are officially going nutters. Calm down now; there are more pressing matters at hand. Uncle Vernon will be here in a minute. Just… take your mind away from this place, imagine you're at Ron's…_

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Draco shed his thick black robe on the floor of his immense bedroom with ease, and began work on his white long sleeve shirt, too-warm pants, and green silk boxers. The temperature outside was hotter than hell and he couldn't stand a moment longer wearing all that boiling and itchy clothing.

"Aaahhhhh….." he sighed happily as his entire body prickled with delight with being in the nude. All his body was out for the world to see, every inch of his pale and perfect skin. "People really don't give nudity enough credit. It's a very effective mode of cooling." He talked to himself as he strode confidently across his bedroom with every wide window thrown open, begging for a breeze to flutter by.

"Must maintain some class, even in this heat. I'll go for… white and black" He announced to himself as he threw open his closet to view a virtual sea of whites, grays, and black. He chose a crisp white t-shirt with black pants. (A thinner material than his last.) He slid them on with no boxers (Too much heat conservation in them) then mounted his broomstick, bewitched himself nearly invisible, and sailed smoothly out his bedroom window for a day of adventure.

He lazily flew threw the air for about an hour before arriving at his chosen destination for the day.

_If I'm to betray my father, I must know how the other side lives._ He had landed oh-so-carefully in the highest branches of the tree at the back of number 4 Privet Drive. His disillusioned himself and settled down comfortably within the dappled shade that the broad green leaves gave him.

_So, the infamous Harry Potter lives in… a boring old Muggle house? What the hell is this, some kind of trick? Doesn't "The-Boy-Who-Lived" have a mansion, a fortune, a gaggle of girls and boys around him at all times? This can't be where he really lives; it's some kind of decoy… _

Malfoys inner thoughts were smashed as soon as he heard sounds from the open upper story window.

"**I. Am. BORED!"**

Draco recoiled in the tree from the sudden booming voice emerging from the room. _Definitely NOT Harry Potter, I have the wrong house… _his thoughts were once again cut off early by another voice.

"**Then go. And. EAT!" **

_That's the Harry I know and HATE! Giving some typical Gryffindor sass…_Draco shifted his position to a lower branch to get a better view of the row unfolding.

"**If you are bored, go and get yourself some candy in the pantry and have some fun with your friends down at the park. Or at their houses. Or… anywhere really. Just go." **

This stunned even Malfoy's mind into silence. The Harry Malfoy knew NEVER backed down. He always fought back to the bitterend but now he wasn't even resisting a bit. It was a sight to pity, seeing him there like a shameful dog with his head hung low.

"**Oh, no, you aren't getting off that easily. You yelled. At me. Mommy and Daddy won't be pleased in the least!** **And I know about you! Not only are you a freak, you're a fucking _fairy!_"**

The fat boy began to walk towards the rickety door into Harry's room and then stopped as Harry began talking again.

"**I am not Dudley-Unkins! Just because you think yourself so good looking doesn't mean that the rest of the world does too! You seem like an overfed pig, but that's just my opinion." **

_Characteristic Gryffindor, stupidly digging themselves deeper graves to die in. Good lord, when will they ever learn?_

"**So now you like me? I thought it was all your disgusting freak friends, but I'm your _cousin_! I suppose Cedirc wasn't enough for you." **

_Point for the fat one. He really would make a good Slytherin; very fickle and deliciously evil in a non-threatening way._

"**Firstly, I don't like you in the least; I despise every living inch of you. And secondly my friends. Aren't. FREAKS!"**

_Tut-tut, classic Harry always is asking for more trouble. Can't say he doesn't deserve it now though…_

He watched as the blonde haired, fat pink boy waddled out of the room, barely fitting through the narrow doorframe.

**"Oh, you're in for it now, you queer freak!" **

"Who, what… hold up a minute...?" Draco whispered to himself. "He didn't just say… is this the REAL Harry Potter?"

"**Shit. Shit, shit, shit…" **This was too much for Draco to understand. Harry Potter was backing down from fights, a fat Muggle boy threatened The-Boy-Who-Lived, and the infamous one himself just took it. And then freaked out.

Draco watched, mystified, as Harry paced the room in a frightened fashion, raking his fingers through his sexily tousled black hair, looking scared and very uncertain. He turned unexpectantly to look directly at Draco, and he beat a hasty retreat to the branch above him. His breath came in short gasps, to be seen was not an option he wanted to think about. Harry didn't call out or send searing spells his way, so he warily looked back.

He was seated calmly on his bed, apparently deep in thought. _This. Is. Too. Weird. _thought Draco. _He's probably going to hex his uncle to the high heavens, I just know it! This can't be real; this is going to be the BEST GOSSIP EVER! _Even though Draco despised his father deeply and loathed any and all things that he said, he still kept a special place in his heart just for hating Harry.

"Let's watch and see what happens why don't we?" he whispered to himself, disillusioning himself again as to not be seen twice by Harry.

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… _imagine you're at Ron's, you're happy, you're very happy and very far away from here…_

"BOY!" Harry's purple faced and bulging veined Uncle slammed the door open so forcefully that the dingy gray wall behind it was permanently dented and it swung itself closed with all the extra force.

Harry began to explain himself before his Uncle even began to accuse him of anything.

"Nothing. I swear, I didn't touch Dudley." Harry had decided against lying a long time ago. In situations like these, he could have told his uncle that he was the world's only savior (not so far from the truth) and it wouldn't change a thing. He knew what was coming before Vernon began the first step of the stairs.

"You are LYING! You always lie you stupid freak! How DARE you talk to my son in such a way? Like you are superior to him, like you have the right to even speak in his presence! It seems like you've learned nothing in all the years you've been here!" Spit flew from the man's mouth; he was such a shade of puce Harry was surprised his head didn't simply explode from the pressure. His breathing came in short gasps; he resembled a _very_ pissed off rhino rather than a person at the moment.

_Keep. Calm. Do not, at any time feed the animals, or approach when angry._ Harry made his worst mistake of the day at that moment. He smiled. In the middle of his Uncle's rage, he smiled. It would be the end to so far a quite happy day.

"And if… YOU'RE SMILING! AT THIS?" Harry was so forcefully backhanded that his neck snapped back and his glasses flew and smashed into the wall behind him. Blood poured into his mouth as his lip cut raggedly against his teeth.

_Shit, shit, shit…_

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Draco was nothing if not astonished. Simply astonished beyond all words.

Harry took blow after blow, never drawing his wand, never making a sound other than an occasional grunt of pain. He just _took_ it. From a common Muggle, no less.

After the first blow, he was knocked down hard, and his glasses flew off his face and smashed into hundreds of pieces as they became too friendly with the dingy wall. He struggled to all fours, trying to get back up when his Uncle continued. He kicked fiercely at his ribs whilst yelling, "THINK IT'S FUNNY NOW! THIS IS HOW YOU DESERVED TO BE TREATED, YOU HEAR ME? YOU HEAR ME?" His Uncle went on kicked, punching, slapping any part of Harry that could be reached. Draco watched in silent horror as this went on for minutes that dragged on like endless hours. Eventually he stopped; short of breath and flecked with his nephews own blood.

"That… is what you… deserve… you are… no longer welcome…in this house… you… fucking… queer… freak."

He left the room quietly and calmly as if nothing out of the ordinary had occurred, opened and closed the door behind him.

The raven-haired boy lay beaten and bruised on the floorboards of his bedroom and began to cry very silently. Tears flowed down his cheeks but he refused to whimper or really cry; his body shook in small bursts and he made an effort to make as little sound possible.

Draco's insides felt as broken as Harry's outsides looked. Silent crying was the lowest of all the lows, he knew from experience. Even when everything inside you was crushed so much that you weren't even sure you had a soul left, you couldn't let those intensely painful feelings show through. That was what Harry was doing and it broke Draco's frigid heart.

And that is how Draco changed all his previously made views on Harry Potter. As he sat silently in a dying elm tree and watched the emerald eyed boy cry inwardly on his dirty floorboards, hatred 5 years in the making melted away like an ice cube on that record temperature making day.

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Please review and share your thoughts with me...

mintapotter


	2. Escape Part One

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

SLASH! Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

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**Chapter 2 – Escape**

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_I must leave, I have to get out of here… oh but I can't, I can't…_ Draco debated his next course of action within his mind while still sitting uncomfortably in a dying elm tree in Harry Potter's yard. His entire body was hot and bothered by the intense heat, but his insides felt cold as ice after witnessing the boy's brutal beating minutes before. Harry had stopped crying a few minutes before and angrily swiped all the tears from his face. Draco fell back into thought and stopped his staring to think.

_He has to leave, and so do I. I must pretend I didn't see anything, I'll leave and nobody will know…_ Draco's thoughts were interrupted by the black-haired boy's moans as he struggled to sit up in his bedroom.

"Oh for fucks sake Draco, get your act together and get in there! It will win you some much needed brownie points..." He finally gathered together all his courage, squared his shoulders and mounted his broom to fly the few meters into Harry Potter's bedroom.

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Harry struggled to sit up properly, but something definitely was broken and was putting up quite a fight to keep him down. He moaned out loud and then stopped halfway to gaze in amazement at his open window.

"Oh. My. Dear. Lord." exclaimed Harry as he sat half raised and half lying on his dingy floor boards.

The sight of a lone broomstick floating through his bedroom window on a hot summer day manned by no-one was not a very settling sight.

"Ummmm…. Anyone there?" he asked uneasily, wondering if this was an illusion his desperate and banged up mind was creating. _Did the beating really go that much to my head?_ He wondered. His fears were quickly answered.

"No dumb-shit, it's a flying broomstick that happens to enjoy your company. Of COURSE someone's here!" Harry could here someone's familiar voice exhale forcefully and then somebody dismounted immediately inside the window, and stood in front of the dazed boy. "Guess who?"

"M-Malfoy? What the hell? If you're here to kick the shit out of me too, you're a tad too late." Harry could tell by Draco's trademark drawl that it was he would have entered his room, but his stab at humor caused the fair-haired boy much sadness.

"Yes it is I, the sexiest man alive, and no, I'm not here to beat you Potter, it looks like a really couldn't do much more damage," Draco finally disillusioned himself and Harry became much more wary as strode over to his broken frame, "and I am here to spring you."

Had Draco started dancing naked around the room, Harry couldn't have been more mystified.

"Spring me?"

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Draco tried his hardest not to scold the bruised boy lying in front of him and opted for the least brutal comeback he could think of.

"To spring, as in the verb to escape. Leave, make for the gate, going on the lamb…"

_Good job Draco! Not nice, but you thought up much worse in your lifetime!_

"I get it Malfoy, I understand! There really is no need to talk to me as though I am 3 years old! The question here is why? If you've had a temporary lapse of judgment, let me remind you, you hate me! Andwhy would you have to leave too?" Draco continued to stare at the boy at his feet and thought how easy it would be to simply leave, to say _"Oh yes, I forgot that I hate you! How silly of me! Oh, I guess I'll be going then!"_ and how much harder it would be to help the helpless teenager. He knew the right choice was always harder, but he gritted his teeth and decided to bear it.

"I happened to be in the neighborhood and couldn't help but overhear your… uncle? yes, your uncle telling you to leave. And then I thought, 'Hey! I need to ditch home too before I go completely evil and sadistic!" And then when I realized that I had nowhere to go where I could hide from Voldemort, I remembered that you must be really good at getting away from him. And with very little brainwork I deduced that we could get away together? Understand?" Draco flipped and errant blond hair from his now sweaty brow and eyed Harry's face for signs of agreement.

His brow was furrowed in deep deliberation; his deep green eyes were clouded in thought, and the rest of him was beginning to show the scars from his recent battle. Blood had dried from his nose and broken lip, and most of his face and arms were beginning to bruise. He was pale and looked like a portrait of living death.Draco could only hope to one day understand what was going on in the depths of his brain…

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Harry hated being scrutinized by the ever perfect Draco. His clothes were starched and pressed, his hair was still perfect and his normally pale features were a perfect shade of the lightest tan. Even in the unbearable heat he wasn't sweating bullets or fidgeting with his clothes. He simply stared at him with his cold gray eyes and waited silently.

Harry decided to ignore him and let his brow furrow in thought. _There is a chance that he's telling the truth but… how stupid would it be to fall into this plan and die at the hands of Voldemort? Oh God, I really don't have a choice and at a time like this dying really doesn't seem so bad…_ Harry fought any tears as thoughts of his parents, Cedric, and Sirius penetrated his thoughts. _Don't ever think like that Harry, never, ever let their lives go to waste… get out of here and then brood!_

Harry looked directly into Draco's eyes and answered him, hoping that if it was all an evil plot that Draco would remember this moment and be haunted by him for all eternity.

"I trust you. Right now, I've got a very small list of people to trust, and you are officially one of them. So, I've just the place to go, and a broom to get there, and all you and I need to do is pack." At this he decided to try to get up, but his ribs protested violently and he ended up back on the ground, holding his breath in excruciating pain.

"Here, don't you dare be stupid and try to move on your own. Come on, I'll help you up…"

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Draco stooped over Harry's body and linked his arms underneath his armpits. Though he was about an inch shorter than Harry he knew he could help lift him at the very least. They stood up slowly, Draco pulling with all his might while trying not to cause his new ally any more pain, and Harry concentrating on not falling over and making a fool of himself. Finally they were both standing tall, and in an instant realized how close they had been in the past minute. Harry's warm breath was now noticeable on Draco's cheek, and he turned away for a moment to regain his composure before speaking.

"You sit, I'll pack." His brain was capable of no more than the basic "Me Tarzan, You Jane" sort of speech at the moment and Harry simply complied rather then make an equally stupid response.

_Where'd all my witty Malfoy sayings go when I need them! God, I will NOT have ANY happy feelings for HARRY FUCKING POTTER!_ Draco mentally yelled at himself as he lowered Harry to a rickety chair and began to survey the room.

All of Harry's possessions seemed to litter the room like a thin layer of dust covering every square inch of it. His broom in one corner, cauldron in another, and various magical things sprinkled throughout. His trunk lay open and things spewed out of it as if it had thrown up unexpectantly and nobody had cared to clean up after it.

Draco hated the idea of manual work in the heat, so he hastily pulled out his wand.

"This will be done in moments, just give me a second…"

"You're not going to want to do that."

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Harry sat bemused in his chair and watched Draco leisurely revolve to look at him and smirk.

"Oh prey tell, why not?" Harry remained amazed at how he could put on his 'holier-than-thou' voice on a whim and slowly replied.

"I've had more warnings for out of school magic in a year then what's normally allowed in a lifetime. Should I get another for no real reason I'll be the next Ministry prisoner."

Harry was amazed at how quickly the smile was wiped off of Draco's face at the mere idea of manual labor. "You mean I have to _pack_, like put the stuff in there with my own bare hands? Oh no, I simply cannot. I won't."

Harry laughed out loud than regretted it as it turned to a painful racking cough. "Yes, you will unless you expect me to. And my Uncle doesn't seem to keen on me staying for long periods of time, so might want to be a little hasty."

Draco's features softened when Harry mentioned his Uncle, and he wondered how much of their 'conversation' he had heard. The last thing Harry wanted was a Malfoy's sympathy however, and tried unsuccessfully to get up.

"I'll do it if it causes you so much trouble." Pain shot through every aching joint and bone in his body, and was relieved when Draco's lithe hands gently pushed him back into the old chair.

"No, you sit, I'll do it." Draco's voice was noticeably softened and Harry was amazed at how beautiful he looked when he wasn't smirking or throwing insults at you every which way. His face was a perfect creamy tan, his hair the lightest blonde; his eyes a soft gray rather then a cold piercing one. He sat back and tried to concentrate on that moment to block out all the sad and painful one's that crowed his mind at happy ones like this.

"Thanks." Was all he could say.

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Please review!

mintapotter


	3. Escape Part Two

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

SLASH! Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

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**Escape – Part 2**

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"Have you ever heard of a house elf? My God, even Muggles hire maids!"

Draco was having a lot of difficulty swallowing his pride and packing for the Harry Potter that he had grown to hate over the years.

_Well, hate is strong word… maybe dislike heavily? Oh my Draco, you really are losing it!_

He sighed audibly and rolled his grey eyes to show Harry just how much he loathed packing for him as he began to pick up various books and clothes by there very conrners and threw them daintily into his still open trunk.

"What, are you afraid to pick up cooties from them or something? You're only holding the corners!" Draco turned again to face the pestering boy and realized that he was now sitting in the chair with his eyes closed.

"Harry? Harry, you okay?" The boy smiled slightly to relieve Draco of his worries and replied, "I'm fine just resting my eyes a bit. Mind picking up the pace? We really need to leave… err… quickly."

Draco could see his entire body tense as someone walked around slowly downstairs. He really felt for him, and began grabbing fistfuls of everything around him and throwing it forcefully into the slowly filling trunk.

"Note to self, must sanitize hands at a later time!" he muttered under his breath before realizing what he was currently grabbing. While going through Harry's clean clothes pile he had grabbed a large fistful of his underwear. He stood a second to analyze it with his back him.

_Interesting. Black, blue and red boxers Stripes… Candy cane stripes? How terribly tacky, hopefully a funny Christmas gift from Weasly gone wrong. Goes for comfort I see…_

"Draco?"

He blushed a deep scarlet before turning back towards Harry.

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"Yes, that is my name." he replied quickly as though embarrassed.

"What exactly are you going to do for clothes and stuff? You can't exactly run away with nothing you know." Harry was too tired to even open his eyes so they remained blissfully closed.

"Well this isn't exactly a planned outing you know; it's a little spur of the moment. I thought as soon as we leave we'd travel to my place; it would be really easy for me to gather my things, then head out for wherever it is that's safe in your books. Where is this place, by the way?"

Harry squirmed in his seat, not sure how he could explain where 12 Grimmauld Place was. "It's in London, but there's a secret keeper so I have to get him to tell you where to go or you can't get in."

Harry opened his eyes for a moment to see Draco's reaction. He remained bent over a pile of potions ingredients and was carefully placing them in his trunk. He cocked his head slightly to get a better view of his magnificent arse. _He really does have a brilliant bottom.. HARRY WHAT YOU ARE THINKING! STOP, STOP, STOP!_ He mentally shook his head and stared at a patch of peeling ceiling tile as Draco continued speaking.

"Oh, and who's the secret keeper? Oh don't tell me, it's good old trustworthy Dumbledore."

Harry snuck another quick peek and smiled at the blonde's backside before replying. "Uh, actually it is."

Draco stood up straight as a board and turned to return his stare. "No. You're kidding me right? Some stupid joke? That man HATES me! He'd sooner tell me where to go than Snape taking you under his wing and adopting you!" Draco's face was a mixture of fear and uncertainty. Harry could tell that his seemingly well-thought out plan was coming undone about the seams.

He replied calmly to soothe Draco's nerves, "I'll explain, don't worry about that part. I'll make up something, I always do. Looks like you're about done, we should be off…"

Harry struggled to stand and his vision swam as he did. Draco was at once at his side, holding his arm to make sure he was alright.

_How out of character! Imagine Ron seeing this, big nurse Malfoy taking care of little old me! He'd have a small aneurism and die!_ Harry managed a small smile at the thought, but his attentions soon turned to a brown barn owl swooping gracefully into his bedroom window.

"Look who's in trouble now."

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Draco pulled himself from his light embrace with Harry to see what he was talking about. The owl was very official looking, puffed up with importance. _Probably from the Ministry_ he thought inwardly.

He quickly removed the letter from the birds protruding leg and than stopped abruptly as Harry clenched his arm. Someone was ascending the stairs, and they didn't sound very happy.

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	4. Escape Part Three

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

SLASH! Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

_**Here's a refresher from the end of the last chapter…**_

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Draco pulled himself from his light embrace with Harry to see what he was talking about. The owl was very official looking, puffed up with importance_. Probably from the Ministry._ he thought inwardly.

He quickly removed the letter from the birds protruding leg and than stopped abruptly as Harry clenched his arm. Someone was ascending the stairs, and they didn't sound very happy.

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**The Great Escape (Part 3) – Chapter 4**

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Terror filled Harry's emerald eyes, they pleaded with Draco from the very depths of his soul. Draco could feel his throat constricting, his breath becoming short, and his mind blowing out of control.

_Oh no, no, no! Very bad! We need to leave; he's nearly here, what to do, what to do…?_

A foot fell on the landing and began a fast and heavy walk towards the door.

"Please Draco, please, let's leave! Bar the door! Don't let him in, please…" Harry's whispered pleas came from behind him and Draco broke their stare as he pushed his newly received letter into his pocket and went for his wand. Nearly instantaneously an intensely angered voice boomed through the thin door.

"MUTHERFUCKING OWLS! WHAT HAVE I SAID. ABOUT. BLOODY. OWLS!" Vernon's rage pulsated through the thin door before he even reached it, and as his hand landed on the handle, Draco decided exactly what to do. He turned briefly back to Harry and simply said,

"Harry, don't move. And don't worry."

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Harry had never felt so terrified in his life. Against Slytherin in a Quidditch match, Sirius in the Shrieking shack, dragons in his 4th year, Voldemort himself in the graveyard; they were up there on his "Most Terrifying Moments" list, but none of them compared to this moment.

_It's all in your head, purely psychological! You'll be fine, Draco's here, he has a wand, we can jump out the window if you're quick…_

He shot a glance at his fair haired friend and saw what would be a mirror image of himself in his face. His eyes were flooded with terror, all his muscles contracted and ready to flee or fight. Obviously pleading with his eyes wasn't enough, and as soon as Harry opened his mouth he lost all self control.

"Please Draco, please, let's leave! Bar the door! Don't let him in, please…"

Draco quickly diverted his gaze away as he thrust his hand deep into his robes to store his letter and grab his wand. Harry snapped his face away, and angrily cursed himself for letting tears sneak into his eyes.

_Don't you dare plead Harry, take care of yourself! What have you become? You are beyond the Realm of Pathetic now; you're border lining the land of the Pitiful! What would Ron think of you, standing here and crying when you should be doing something!_

Harry angrily swiped his tears away with the back of his hand, and his entire body winced as his Uncle's voice filled his ears.

"MUTHERFUCKING OWLS! WHAT HAVE I SAID. ABOUT. BLOODY. OWLS!"

He nearly smiled again at a (sort of) funny incident at the beginning of his last year's summer, then remembered where smiling had got him with his lovely Uncle in the past hour and decided against it.

Draco turned back to Harry the moment he heard a heavy hand land on the doorknob.

"Harry, don't move. And don't worry."

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The huge brash man barged through the door with the force of a storm, blustering and blowing all over. Draco pointed his wand at him and spoke quickly and directly to avert his attention from Harry as swiftly as possible.

"Hello. My name is Draco Felicix Malfoy. I am here on behalf of the Ministry of Magic to obtain one Harry James Potter from this residence at number 4 Privet Drive. You are a guardian, one … Mr. Dursley, correct?"

Draco felt hot sweat drip down his back and he shivered slightly both because of it and fear. He had so many personas he could splash on at any time like cheap cologne, and this was the best "Authoritative Figure" acting he had done yet. He nearly stumbled over the first name of the purple faced man facing him, but quickly recovered. And he never, even for a second, lowered his wand.

A highly confused and slightly scared Vernon merely bobbed his head up and down on his massive neck, obviously scared of what this teenage boy was doing here and what he could possibly do to him.

_Probably mistakes me for mid-twenties, and he's not the only one! Oh, all the exquisite bars I've been… CONCENTRATE ON THE TASK AT HAND!_

He squared his shoulders and pointed his nose and chin ever so slightly higher in the air as he continued. "I have here," he paused dramatically and withdrew the Misuse of Underage Magic letter from his inner pocket, "an official letter that I am to read to you from the Ministry of Magic." He flourished the letter under Vernon's and opened it right in front of him so that he could see the official emblem and seal of the Ministry.

"At approximately…" _talk with father at 8, half hour breakfast, 5 minute change of clothes, hour and some to get here... _"9:35 am on the morning of July 30th a severe infraction of…" _it says code 1906 here for the use of the disillusionment charm,_ "code 1906 in the Charter of Magical People and Beings Code of Conduct occurred to Mr. Potter and the Ministry will be pressing charges at a later time. Mr. Malfoy will be sent forthwith to collect the victim and the … infractor…" _is that even a WORD?_ "will be placed under house arrest until a court date can be arranged. Sincerely, Malfalda Hopkirk," _think of a title that sounds scary,_ "Mistress of Magic."

Draco let out a huge sigh as he one handedly put the letter back into his robes, turning his attentions away from Vernon to show him that he wasn't scared of being attacked at any time. He was so scared of being attacked in real life that he could almost feel his blood racing through his veins.

"So, that settles the matter Mr. Dursley. Harry will be coming with me as soon as his belongings are in order, and you will be notified at a later time about the consequences. Understood?"

This was the moment of truth, and Draco watched the balding mans forehead veins pulsate as he took in the story and processed it in his mind. He could practically see the wheels turning as he eyed Harry and began to step towards him slowly.

"Now let me tell you that I am an upstanding citizen and all you… people can't use your laws against…"

Draco he feel Harry's fear pulsated from him and immediately rushed over to stand between him and his deranged Uncle.

"Let me tell you," he said in his coldest and most menacing voice (one usually reserved for Harry and his 2 best buddies), "that one more step towards myself or Mr. Potter will be seen as an aggressive gesture and will be used against you in a court of law." Draco had once heard a Muggle born boy at school say something like this about a "Cops" show and hoped he hadn't fudged it up too badly.

Vernon seemed ready to pounce on the slightly shivering Harry then took a step back. "Fine, fine. Tell them I gave you no sass, that I was … cooperative." He hung his head in shame, then retreated back towards the doorway.

Draco's body remained tense, and was very surprised to here another voice join the conversation.

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The tension in the room was palpable, it had engulfed Harry's mind from the moment Vernon had stepped into the room. Now it was slowly ebbing away as he took the defeated walk towards the door. This was a huge triumph in Harry's mind, but somehow he wanted just a little more.

"Close the door behind you." Harry was half an inch away from peeing his pants in fear, but after that war between Draco and his Uncle, he needed a tiny bit of a comeback.

"We'll be leaving out the front doorway, so we'll be down in a bit." Harry stood defiantly beside Draco, and giddily watched his Uncles mind explode inwardly with wrath. But the psychological games had already been won, and he was so beaten he knew he couldn't put up a fight.

He merely grunted his defeat, and then silently closed the door. Harry listened keenly to every step he slowly took, then every creak in the floorboards of the stairs, before he and Draco collapsed onto the floor.

"Good job." Harry muttered to a much drained Draco, now lying splayed in the floor with exhaustion. "You looked the part then, very Percy like and uptight and now you look a little… well dead."

This wasn't a lie in the least. Draco who had seemed so calm and cool under pressure now looked more than a little sweaty and tired. His hair has limp and plastered to his face, and he lay very unceremoniously on the floor next to a sitting Harry.

_Still looks good to me. STOP THINKING LIKE… Oh give it up, you are gay and you like him. You like Draco Malfoy. This is your mind speaking Harry, and I'm too friggin tired to even try and battle it. Sorry._ Harry smiled mischievously and returned his attentions to Draco.

Draco gave a half laugh and rolled himself onto his side to see Harry better. "Thank you. I'll try and twist the first bit into a compliment of my amazing acting capabilities, but the second half is unsalvageable."

Harry smiled at this, content in every way that two wars had been won in one day. He had made an amazing ally and fast friend of Draco Malfoy. And they had together been the tag-team needed to take his Uncle out.

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Draco begrudgingly finished gathering the rest of Harry's things, allowing him to continue sitting on the floor to rest. He stopped to examine a slippery cloth in his hands, only to discover that they were no longer there.

"AHHHHHHHHH!" He dropped the cloth as he stifled his not-so-manly scream and backed away from the cursed object.

Harry started in his light doze and stared at Draco, trying to figure out why he had screamed so girly-like.

"What. The. Fuck. Was. That?"

Draco tried to remain cool. "My hands disappeared under this cloak, so I freaked out."

"Well it is an invisibility cloak. That's kinda what it's supposed to do." Harry replied cheekily, shaking his head in mockery and closing his eyes to continue his 10 second nap.

Draco gave him a withering stare and walked forward to pack the cloak as well. "I liked you better when you fought with your fists and weren't witty."

Without even opening his emerald eyes Harry replied, "Oh too bad for poor little Drackie-kins. Now maybe you haven't noticed but I'm drained till death so just let me rest for a few seconds."

Even Draco had to admit that he was completely mentally drained and wished no more than to cuddle up to the dark, brooding character before him.

_Keep a little dignity. CONCENTRATE! You'll need your wits about you at the house for sure, just watch you being caught with him by some stupid house elf! What a laugh!_

Draco finished packing the last of Harry's belongings and didn't even try to suppress his grin as he gently woke the dozing Harry.

"Harry? It's time to go, and we best keep your promise of leaving through the front."

He managed a weak smile, and with the combined efforts of himself and Draco managed to stand straight. He looked Draco in the eyes and his grin quickly slid off his face.

"You do realize that we are in a Muggle neighborhood? If one of the people here see us fly out on our broomsticks with my trunk in tow… Seems like a funny thought but it's not."

Draco walked briskly over to Harry's bed and shut his trunk with a click, dragged it behind him, and with his other hand he grabbed Hedwig's cage and began his way out the door.

"Don't worry; I've already thought that part through. I know you have an invisibility cloak, so we'll throw that over your trunk and broom to hide them. Then I'll disillusion you and myself and we'll be off." Harry gave him a warning type of look, and Draco shot back, "I've only ever had this warning… _thing_… about underage magic once in my entire life, and another won't do too much damage! You've probably had loads!" he shot over his back.

"And? Point being?"

"Shut up. You're making me feel like a goody-goody and I don't feel like trading roles with you today."

"Shove it"

"Make me."

They both smirked private smirks at being back in their familiar roles. It was slipping into your favorite pair of pajamas. They just fit so well, you didn't have to even think about putting them on, and boy it felt good to be back on familiar territory. Only now it wasn't openly hostile. More a neutral zone where neither knew the rules of how to play the game. They continued out the landing to the staircase in silence, pondering how this arrangement was exactly going to work.

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Harry's outsides were so weary from the day's events that all he could envision was himself in a bed, holding Draco close and being perfectly warm, happy and loved.

_And then Ron will turn out to be Voldemort's sister and Dumbledore's really a woman. You really need to set some achievable goals my friend, and that isn't one of them. Just because Draco isn't spitting on you and telling you off constantly doesn't make him your best friend or your lover, so shelve all those happy thoughts!_

Harry snapped back to attention as he realized that he was automatically following Draco's lithe from down the stairs. The thump-thump-thump of the trunk harkened their arrival at the bottom, so his Uncle was already standing at the front doorway.

Harry's breath caught in his throat. He hadn't steeled himself for this, not for another confrontation. He was beginning to turn around and stumble his way back up the stairs he had lived under for so long when Draco's authoritative voice stepped into his mind and cleared his psyche of any fears.

"Hello Mr. Dursley. Mr. Potter and I will be leaving now." Draco stormy grays stared directly into Vernon's raging watery blues, and never faltered. Vernon slowly stepped out of their way, and motioned to let them pass.

Draco turned on his heel and muttered the disillusionment charm on Harry first, then himself. He couldn't suppress a shivery sigh as the spell trickled down his back, but Draco kept his in. He was all business now, very organized and methodical. He withdrew the invisibility cloak from Harry's trunk, threw it over the trunk and his broomsticks stuffed the cage in, charmed them all together, and then stood straight to face Vernon.

Harry cracked a huge smile at the look of astonishment on his Uncle's face. He could still make out where they were, but indistinctly, and his bewilderment showed on every inch of his astonished face.

"This isn't the last you will hear from us. Good bye. Harry," Draco motioned Harry to sit behind him on his broom after he smoothly mounted it.

_Screw it, take the back! You're too damn tired to direct it anyways, and you don't know where he lives._

Harry sat back, his broom and trunk peeking out from one of the corners of the cloak, obviously struggling to stay in the air with all the added weight. Vernon was too concerned with making a good impression that he forgot his usually self totally and opened the door wide for them.

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They were off quickly, speeding through the humid summer air at unnatural speeds. The wind was very pleasantly cooling though, and even with it whipping Draco in his face he couldn't help but sweat. Harry Potter. Was sitting behind him. And hugging him from the rear. WOW.

_Thank sweet Merlin for days like these! Now all we need is a bed with white silk sheets and down blankets to conveniently fall into and we're all set! What a day, what a day…_

Harry nestled himself into Draco's back, completely comfortable with resting his head on his neck, and Draco sighed deeply to himself, letting the wind whisk and ruffle his hair every which way. Normally he would be pissed at the thought of his hair mussed up. But who really cared, right? He was sitting with Harry Potter on a speeding broomstick, and in that moment of time it was all that really mattered.

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Harry amused himself by watching the top edge of his worn broom and battered trunk peek out at the front of his cloak, floating eagerly beside him for the ride.

But quickly his mind turned to other things. Like the fact he was pressing his entire front against Draco Malfoy's back. And quite enjoying it, as a matter of fact. He felt sick to look down and only see the tiny stick he was floating on, not his muscular legs or hands gripping it. He hugged Draco a little tighter, and burrowed his face into the back of his pristine white t-shirt. It smelled lightly of vanilla, very fresh and pretty. He let his head rest right below the very end of his neck, and couldn't help but sniff this too. Draco's skin his soft like a flowers petals, and smelled just as divine. It was a little bit floral, a little minty too. Harry clasped his hands together tightly and melted into Draco's back. He exhaled deeply in total bliss, shut his eyes, and for a moment everything the Harry's world was. Just. Right.

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Please review

Lots of Love!

mintapotter


	5. Malfoy Manor

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

SLASH! Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

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**Chapter 5 – Malfoy Manor**

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Draco shivered slightly from the wind still whistling through his fine hair. Harry had apparently fallen into a light sleep behind him, and as they approached his home in the afternoon heat he had to work up the heart to wake him.

_Poor bloke! Had quite the shitty day, should I think about it… But hey, he needs to know we're here at least, that way when my father tries to kill us HE can save MY ass for once!_

Draco tried to wiggle a little to rouse Harry, and he felt him straighten behind him and gave a tiny yawn as well.

"Nearly there you dolt, you would have completely missed the Malfoy Manor sleeping and snoring like you were."

Harry playfully smacked Draco on his arm, and replied dozily. "Oh, what a great tragedy. You not making an entrance at your own home would be _such_ a put down on the day, wouldn't it?"

Draco smirked at Harry's extremely sarcastic comment and replied just as smarmily. "Shut up Potter. You're lucky I don't hand you over to my father and let him have his fun."

After a moment the silence between them was no longer comfortable, and Draco battered himself inwardly for being so insensitive.

_SHUT YOUR FAT MOUTH DRACO! Only you could have possibly ruined that moment! You've seen what kind of a day Harry's been through, you should know not to say anything like that! Gahh, fix it quickly and stop sitting here in the unbearable silence!_

"Sorry there. Lost myself for a moment, didn't mean to…"

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"Don't worry about it. You are still Malfoy and it's to be expected."

Harry really didn't feel like having a spat with the invisible Malfoy in front of him on a broomstick, and opted to start with a clean slate.

"I just want to enjoy the view in peace, so there'll be no need to talk. Oh, and your house really is… marvelous."

Harry's eyes tried to soak up the sights laid before him as the Malfoy Manor came closer and closer into view. It was like a Technicolor movie, where the grass was so green, the sky and ponds so blue, and the flowers so vibrant it literally put him into a trance.

They were flying in from the back, so a magnificent black marble fountain spewed clear water directly beneath them as they passed over the impeccably groomed lawns. A pristine pool in the twisting shape of a serpent curved in and around several small hills, and the entire property was enclosed with pure white trees with dark gray leaves that Harry had never seen before.

"Nearly there…" Draco whispered over his shoulder as they came upon the last stretch of land before the grand stone mansion in front of them. High turreted windows loomed on both the first and second floors. The entire house cast a dark shadow onto the nearly invisible boys, and Harry involuntarily shuddered at the sudden coolness on his face. Draco smoothly glided them into his bedroom through one of his still open windows. He dismounted smoothly from the broom, and Harry much less gracefully did so as well. He then flicked his wand out of his robes and disillusioned them both before taking a deep breath to talk…

"I need to Floo somebody before we leave, do you have a fireplace?" Harry asked his question a moment before he could tell Draco wanted to pose his. Draco was obviously miffed at being so rudely interrupted, but swallowed his pride to answer him.

"Yes, I have my own fireplace over there on the wall," he pointed in the general direction of it, "I'll get the powder out for you, I suppose."

The two boys walked over to the ornate grey and black granite fireplace, and Harry marveled at it as Draco withdrew a pinch of Floo powder from a green velvet pouch and threw it into the magically cool flames before them.

"12 Grimmauld Place." Harry spoke clearly into the flames, then turned quickly to observe Draco's response.

"What did you say? I missed it completely; the breeze came in or something…" Harry smirked at his response then turned again to the now bright green flames and thrust his head into them. His head felt like it was swimming and swirling at a rapid pace and was nearly instantly looking dazedly into the kitchens of his late grandfather's home. Albus Dumbledore sat alone at the oversized kitchen table, sucking on a pipe that was emitting no smoke at all.

"Headmaster?" Harry asked anxiously.

"Harry? Is that you?" Dumbledore turned around and swiftly sat on the hearth nearest the fire; his creased face smiled sweetly at Harry and right away put him at ease. But soon his merrily crinkled face became lined with worry. "What has happened my boy? You look like you've been beaten by a horde of dragons! Are you alright? Are you safe?"

Harry quickly responded, "Yes, I'll be quite fine Headmaster, don't worry. I'll be arriving at your residence really soon, but I'm bringing a guest, and I need a slip or something from you so they can get in." Harry still remained distant from Dumbledore, always referring to him as "Headmaster". Dumbledore showed no signs of surprise at Harry's request, or anger at his refusal to call him by his name. Harry put nearly all the responsibility of Sirius' death on his own shoulders, which weighed him down immensely, but left a tiny bit of the responsibility on Dumbledore as well.

"Fine, fine my boy, who is it for?" Dumbledore quickly put down his pipe and withdrew a quill and piece of parchment from his midnight blue robes.

_This is the moment of truth Harry, you have to convince him with all your heart to let Draco in, don't mess this up…_

"Draco Malfoy, sir…" Harry tried to breathe deeply, but found it immensely hard under the pressure of the situation. Before he could continue his case of why Draco should be let in Dumbledore responded.

"And you trust him for your own reasons." He stated without missing a beat, already scrawling the placement of 12 Grimmauld Place onto the parchment without looking up at Harry.

"Yes. I have my own reasons for trusting him." He replied, amazed that he wouldn't have to put up a huge fight to get Draco in.

"Then I will trust you. Take this," Dumbledore put the slip of paper into Harry's mouth, "and give it to him to read, and then come back through the Floo network. I'll be expecting you both very, very soon."

Draco had since walked away from Harry's Floo conversation with Dumbledore, as he couldn't hear a thing they were saying. Harry quickly extracted his head from the flames and the parchment from his mouth then held it in his hand while regaining his breath. Without turning around Draco heard Harry sit back onto the hearth and spoke over his shoulder.

"You go and lay down on the bed for a moment, and I'll pack some needed things and we'll be off, okay? The house elves don't come in until nearly 7 o'clock, and my parents are probably having a drink in the lounge so you're safe." Draco's voice was filled with genuine concern for Harry's well being, and he added, "Just rest a bit, you're looking like a cauldron of bubbling shit."

_Now THERE'S the Malfoy I've been waiting for! How can he possibly try and be so indisputably nice, then say something completely unnecessary like that? Merlin only knows, and anyways, that bed looks mighty comfy._

"Thanks Draco, just boost my self esteem a little higher will you?" The blonde snickered as he swaggered off into his enormous walk-in closet to pack. "Well you do Potter, take a good look at yourself."

Harry slowly trudged his way to the immaculately made bed on the far side of the room. It was huge, larger than even a king sized bed, and covered in expensive looking bedding. Silvery silk sheets were tucked neatly over an emerald green comforter, and the entire top part of the bed was filled with down pillows in every shape and size. Groaning at what was possibly a twisted or fractured ankle; Harry grasped the birch footboard of the bed for support. _Didn't notice that before…_ He thought gloomily, and then his spirits sank lower as he caught his reflection in an antique silver gilded mirror standing on the wall beside Draco's bed.

The parts of body that were visible, his face and arms, were covered in bruises in varying colors. Light yellow and green ones were healing after fights nearly a week ago, but new dark purple and blue ones were springing up everywhere else. What wasn't bruised was deathly pale and Harry finally realized just how badly he was doing. He was squinting terribly to focus the images around him and finally realized that his glasses had been left shattered on the floor of his bedroom. He decided against worrying about that, and let himself collapse face first onto Draco's bed at last.

_Mmmm… delicious…_he inhaled Draco's sweet scent from the pillows he lay on, then turned over because he found his breathing suddenly very hard.

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"Now what's more important, black wool slacks, or a white linen shirt?..." Draco mumbled to himself as he threw both into his oversized black leather trunk, his body buzzing with excitement at the idea of his leaving home.

_It's like the final 'fuck you!' to my Father; he'll die in sorrow at the thought of my leaving him. And if he ever finds out I left with Potter to go live with the Weasley's and Mudblood and Dear-old-Dumbledore he'll simply go mad…_

He smiled evilly at the thought of his dear old Dad finding him gone without a trace, and then distractedly peered out of the doors of his closet.

His raven haired companion was standing very close to his mirror, peering at his reflection from head to toe, and then flopping face down tiredly onto Draco's bed.

_I wonder why he's standing so damn close to the mirror? It's not like he can't see himself, he's probably checking to see if his gorgeous face was harmed or something… Oh, wait, he can't without his glasses can he? Aw well, I hated those disgusting round ones anyways, they did nothing for his face shape and bone structure. Now we get to go glasses shopping!_

Draco returned his attentions to his packing and threw a few more shirts, socks, underwear and pants into the trunk before letting himself be satisfied that he had enough to last him until his next shopping spree. Then his smile was wiped off his face because of two things. One was that he finally realized what running away was going to get him. He was forfeiting his inheritance, his power, money, everything. This thought hit him instantaneously as his body stiffened at a bone chilling cough from his bedroom. Draco immediately rushed back into his bedroom to check out what was going wrong.

Harry was sitting up on the bed, doubled over in a deep, hacking cough. He barely wheezed in enough air in between each bout to keep himself from passing out. Draco was instantly beside him, holding the boy by his sides as his coughing racked his entire body unmercifully. Draco held onto him, trying to be comforting in his actions, and noticed just how frail Harry was. His slender, pale fingers easily gripped Harry's sides, and this was a distinct piece of evidence of just how bad his summer had been.

_If only the world knew that the amazing Harry Potter was reduced to this, they would all freak out! He's not only beaten by Muggles, he's ridiculed by them starved by them, then goes into a coughing fit like he's about to…die._

Draco's grip stiffened on Harry as he slowly regained his normal breathing.

"Are you alright? That needs to be checked, it sounds pretty terrible. Have you had it for a while? Have you seen a Healer lately…" Draco lowered his head to Harry's stooped one, trying to look him in the eyes to show his sincerity.

Harry gasped for a moment longer before answering, "That's never happened before…" he breathed in again deeply, "It just feels like I can't breathe…"

His face was covered in a thin sheen of a cold sweat, and as Draco locked eyes with him he saw how frightened he really was.

"Its fine Harry, you'll be fine. Just rest a second then we'll be off again. We'll get you into St. Mungos; they'll help you out…"

Draco carefully maneuvered Harry down onto the bed again, taking his time and trying oh-so hard not to cause him any more pain or discomfort. He was bent double over him when he tried to stand straight up again and for an instant their lips touched.

It wasn't even a second long, but it was so tangible, real, and noticeable to both boys that they both took extreme notice. Draco felt Harry's thick, weather roughened lips brush his and momentarily let his knees buckle a little at the masculine touch. Harry felt a whisper of Draco's perfectly smooth lips on his and savored in how petal soft they were. Immediately Draco pulled up and out of the situation and looked Harry deep in his eyes.

_He'll hate me, he hates me, I'll have to stay here and die, what was that, I shouldn't have enjoyed it, what's going on, oh he'll hate me, what if he liked it too? He's Harry Potter, I can't like him, or love him, it doesn't work, it simply doesn't, oh shitty shit shit…_

Thoughts rambled through Draco's mind at a mile per minute but instead of seeing anger, hate and loathing in Harry's dark emerald eyes he saw the complete opposite. Desire. Enjoyment. Want. Draco closed his eyes and unhurriedly bent over to kiss him fully, and he savored every single moment of it. They both closed their eyes and let their lips and hands do all the talking. Draco caressed Harry's lips softly below his, seeing him for the first time as fragile and frail. Harry kissed him back longingly, letting on of his hands roam onto Draco's back and neck to pull him slightly closer. One of Draco's kept him up, while the other wandered about in his lover's nest of raven colored mussy hair. They remained in that intimate kiss for only half a minute at most before Draco pulled himself away. He turned away for a moment to compose himself and take in the situation.

_OH MY FUCKING MERLIN! I JUST SNOGGED HARRY FUCKING POTTER AND HE LIKED IT! What is the world coming to? This is a dream, I'm going to turn around and he's not even going to be there! 1…2…3…_

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Draco turned back towards him with his face flushed with passion and a little bit of embarrassment.

"You hardly ever look embarrassed Mr. Malfoy, I'm amazed to see that I'm the one to get you in such a dither." Harry kept an unnaturally cool exterior as he talked to Draco while his insides squirmed like they were being wringed between his hands.

"Oh and by the way you are a magnificent kisser, and this is your ticket into our hideaway. Read it now and we'll be off through the fireplace in a moment, alright?"

Harry held out his hand palm up for Draco to grab the now sweaty bit of parchment that had been concealed within. Draco snatched it from him quickly without touching his hand at all, and turned away from him quickly to storm back into his closet.

"I can't say the same for you on the kissing scale Potter, I just thought you'd enjoy some of my exemplary snogging skills after such an amazingly craptastic day such as this, that's all. Don't go getting all worked up about it, it's not like you're the only boy I've ever kissed you know."

Harry smiled and wasn't touched in the least by Draco's icy cool words, because even as he walked away Harry could see the tips of his ears burning a fiery red. That was enough to keep him comforted that that moment, however small, meant something to his wispy haired blonde.

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Draco scolded himself inwardly for losing control of himself so vainly.

_What in the bloody hell was that? You not only took advantage you were NOT in control of the situation and you KISSED him and now he knows you're gay… well everyone at school already knew that but that's not the point! How can you possibly live together now after that! Weasley'll have a field day with this, I can see it now…_

Draco shook these thoughts from his head and magicked his trunk to float slowly behind him. He grabbed his broom in the bedroom, then found Harry's trunk and broom still hidden under his invisibility cloak and charmed them to float behind him as well.

"Ready to g…" Draco stood stock still, horrified in the middle of his bedroom and stared directly into the haggard, mottled brown face of one of the households very devoted house-elves, Trawny.

"Is it the devil spawn, my masters enemy, it is the Harry Potter?" the elf whispered to himself, obviously in shock at the revelation that the real life Boy-Who-Lived was indeed sitting up in his young masters bedroom on a sunny day like this.

"What are you doing here?" Draco demanded in a tone of menace and anger Harry hadn't seen him use since… well since school ended.

"Came to clean young master's room of course, young one was out, could come and tidy…" the elf twisted its dirty hands onto them and mumbled these words to itself almost incoherently, and Draco snapped his fingers rudely to make the elf concentrate on him again.

"Listen, I have a very good reason of having him here Tawny…" The house elf jumped in glee and began to run out of the room all of a sudden for no apparent reason.

"It's for the master, he always wanted him, now he has him, he has him from the young master, he will be so happy!" the elf yelled as he ran out of the door.

Draco was to slow to hex the elf to stop and as soon as he had ran through his bedroom door he turned to Harry with one word.

"Go."

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Harry was still in a state of shock at the idea Draco's father, Lusious , would find out of his whereabouts within his own home. He was still so awed at the last few moments of his delicious kiss that when the elf ran into the room and stared at him laying helplessly on the bed, he froze.

_No. No, no, no, no! Not after all this, not now, we're so close to freedom, too close to lose it all! We have to get away, we must, we'll go now…._

Dreadful thoughts raced through Harry's head and though he stared at Draco conversing with the elf he didn't hear a word that they were saying. Too wrapped up in his own self doubt and sadness he couldn't even register what was happening in the world around him until Draco finally turned towards him and locked his gaze.

"Go."

Harry definitely didn't need to be told twice. Ignoring his extremely painful ankle, among other things, he swiftly got off the bed and grabbed his floating trunk from behind Draco. Draco was also quick on the uptake, keeping his trunk and their two brooms charmed behind him as they both made a mad dash towards the fireplace.

The flames within had been charmed earlier to give off cold rather than heat so they were both able to walk into it without scalding themselves. Harry ducked into it first, trying desperately to keep his trunk in his grasp in his fatigued arms. Beside him Draco did the same, then began to open the little bag of Floo powder within shaking hands.

_I thought he was always in control, always on top of things, just… always. He never freaks out at the small stuff, or sweats about a test, or worries in general. But his hands… I'll have to do it._

Draco's hands were shaking so uncontrollably that he couldn't even open the bag and Harry finally in expiration grabbed the bag from him. "Let me do it. Don't worry so much."

As he calmly took a large pinch of Floo powder from the bag to be safe and threw it into the fire Draco turned towards him. "You do not know my father."

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At that exact moment the bedroom door on the opposite side of the wall few open with a gusto, revealing Lucious Malfoy in all his glory, Draco's Mother Narcissa looking slightly pleased and still holding a flute of champagne in her delicate hand, and Trawny the house elf cowering with excitement behind them.

"Now what's this I hear about a little present for me…" Lucious' evil drawl stopped instantly and the wide grin that had rested on his face slid off as he surveyed the room to find his son and the one and only Harry Potter standing upright in his fireplace within blazing green flames.

"12 Grimmauld Place." Harry said quickly, twisting and turning uncontrollably as he was whisked away to his final destination for the day. Draco locked his gray eyes first with his fathers matching ones teeming with anger, then his mothers light blues full of frustration before his father began to talk.

"You let him get away? You _let_ him…" Lucious was slowly approaching the fireplace where his only child stood, slowly reaching for his wand within his deep gray robes to teach him a not so painless lesson.

"I helped him." Draco replied, not quite sure why he hadn't muttered the words of his destination yet as well and be gone from the home he so despised.

"What, you HELPED him get away?" Lucious screamed at the idea of such a betrayal, his face and eyes livid with such a fury he normally reserve for conversations about Harry Potter, Dumbledore, Mudbloods and the such.

Draco finally realized why he hadn't left all of a sudden. He needed satisfaction. He needed… revenge for some of the many things his parents had done to him. And with the look on his fathers face, paired with the confused and horrified one on his mothers pale visage, he was at last satisfied.

"Yes I did. Fuck you Father. And you to Mother. I won't be missing you." As soon as the words dropped from his mouth his hurriedly said "12 Grimmauld Place" and threw a large dose of Floo powder into the cooling flames and watched his family's last reactions.

His father had withdrawn his wand from his robes and was about to mutter the incantation of an Unforgivable no doubt but it was all in vain because he had done it a moment too late. His mother had dropped her priceless champagne glass onto the floor beneath her and didn't even flinch as it shattered into thousands of little pieces. She sank to her knees in a tiny light blue silk dress that was now flecked with droplets of champagne and her own tears while watching him, yelling something to him that he would never hear. The house elf that had caused all this trouble was cowering behind them, waiting for its inevitable punishment. Draco closed his eyes as his body began to swirl, he gripped his trunk and broomstick a little closer and cleared his thoughts as the Floo powder whisked his away.

_I hope that this 12 Grimmauld Place is up to snuff, and that the people there don't evict me. The amazing Draco Malfoy has officially no place else to go._

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Please review (not just for me, for everyone!)

luv

mintapotter


	6. Put A Smile Upon Your Face

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever. SLASH! Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

**A/N:** I use the lyrics to Coldplay's "God Put a Smile Upon Your Face" in this chapter. They own the rights, not little me.

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**Chapter 6 – Put a Smile Upon Your Face**

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_Where do we go nobody knows?  
I've gotta say I'm on my way down  
God give me style and give me grace  
God put a smile upon my face_

_Coldplay_

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"HARRY POTTER! WHAT THE IN HEAVENS NAME HAVE YOU DONE?"

Harry had kept his eyes shut the entire way as he spun slightly out of control towards his destination of the day.

_I can only hope this is my last stop. I don't think I have it in me to move another inch. Even being yelled at hurts…_

The spinning had taken its toll on his currently very fragile body and mind and he was too nauseous to even nurse the thought of opening his eyes to the scene in front of him. Keeping his now very glazed over green eyes closed he stepped out of the fireplace to wait for Draco and smiled a tiny half-hearted smile. Mrs. Weasley's shrill voice rang in his ears from somewhere in front of him and caused his already pounding head to pound just a tiny bit more.

"And why are you keeping your eyes shut?" came her voice again, this time quieter and filled with curiosity and worry. "You've done a right number on yourself there, is there something wrong with them?"

Harry opened them gradually to appease the Weasley matron and was greeted by the sight of a small crowd of familiar faces. The entire Weasley clan was in front of him; along with various members of the Order he had and hadn't met before. Tonks now sported dark brown shoulder length hair that actually made her look very attractive and not quite so…odd. Remus Lupin smiled lightly and hovered at the edge of the crowd, along with a few other new faces that dotted the outskirts of the huge Weasley family. Even Charlie and Bill's faces smiled uncertainty at Harry from the middle. Charlie cradled a sleeping flaming red haired baby in his arms, his new tiny blonde wife adding 2 to the Weasley clans every growing number. They all stared at him with worry and expectancy for answers to all their unanswered questions.

"I'll be fine," he answered in as strong a voice as possible and gave a weak smile to back it up while leaning heavily on his trunk for support, "and I kept them closed because I hate all that darn spinning."

Mrs.Weasley's motherly instincts took over and she finally cracked a warm smile back at him then turned back toward the still silent crowd to motion for the twins to come up to the front.

"Come here will you boys and be of some help? Fred please take Harry's trunk upstairs to his room, you know the one, George could you store his broom in the front cupboard as well? Thank you boys very much." The infamous duo snaked their way through the throng towards Harry and relieved him from his trunk and broom that he had unknowingly been gripping very dearly.

"Hey there," said Fred as he approached quickly,

"What did you possibly do," asked George, adding to his brothers sentence,

"To get roughed up like that?" finished Fred with a quizzical look.

"Oh this, nothing, never mind it, it's nothing really…" Harry trailed off and turned back to the dingy rough stone fireplace behind him expectantly, showing evidently that his concentration lay elsewhere.

Fred and George shared a quick knowing look between themselves and everyone else in the room began to do the same, all sharing identical thoughts. They whispered fervent messages from behind cupped hands and glanced every few moments at the battered teenage boy before them.

_What's wrong this time? Was it Voldemort? Was it a Dementor? Why is he here already? This wasn't planned, Dumbledore had to leave unexpectedly! Was it connected? What in the world is he waiting for? Why is Draco Malfoy coming?_

Harry's thoughts however didn't lay with the buzzing crowd before him but the pale boy he had left behind.

_What the BLOODY HELL does Draco think he's doing? A final stand off with his parents might feel good for a moment but his Dad isn't one to take this joke very lightly. If he got caught, if he told them anything at all…_

A shiver ran up Harry's spine and he turned away from the empty fireplace he had been staring so intently at and then heard a voice that caused him to smile the largest grin he had smiled in days.

"What the bloody hell have you got yourself into this time? And if it involves spiders, count me out bloke, I simply will not participate."

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Ronald Weasley ran two stairs at a time to arrive, _late_, for Harry's big unexpected arrival. Dumbledore had only minutes before told them that his best friend and Draco Malfoy would be arriving. Together. For no friggin apparent reason.

_Whatever the reason is, it better be DAMN good for me to live under the same roof as a Malfoy, let alone that particular one. He's a snitch, and everyone knows it! Maybe we can just send him off for some mission for the Order and have him killed, or kill him and send the parts back home… Whichever comes first really…_

Ron breathlessly pushed his way through the crowd of residents in the dingy old house, trying desperately to see the condition of his preeminent friend. Dumbledore's warning still rung clearly in his head, and worry had been his number one emotion since the words had left his mouth.

"_Harry will be arriving unexpectantly here today, and let me warn you in advance that it is not for no good reason. He seems to have taken quite a… beating today, and it seems very serious from what I have seen of him. He will not answer what is the cause, but we will learn son enough. It would be wise," _he then added, looking directly at Ron with his twinkling eyes to capture his attention, _"not to pester him where his injuries come from because we will be learning that soon enough anyways. Oh, and before I forget, he will be coming with Draco Malfoy. Not as a prisoner as some of you might hope for, but as an equal. He hopefully will be treated with respect, and if not friendliness, civility."_

Ron brow furrowed deeply and a frown of his deepest anger as he pushed a long lock of his trademark fiery red hair from his bottomless blue eyes. They sparkled with an old anger for Draco, and he was more than a little keen to see first hand why his arch enemy was arriving in his family's temporary home. He not to graciously pushed a young new Order member from his path to get to the front, and finally (breathlessly) was able to speak face to face with his bestest friend, Harry.

Instantly all the anger he held against Draco flowed out and away from his face, he beamed his biggest, brightest smile to Harry and spoke the first thing that came to mind.

"What the bloody hell have you got yourself into this time? And if it involves spiders, count me out bloke, I simply will not participate."

Harry turned away from staring into the empty soot covered kitchen fireplace and grinned back at him, something Ron hadn't seen Harry do in a very long time. The sight before him saddened him deeply, because Harry's outward appearance didn't come close to matching his smile. Everything was bruised or bruising, his hair was untidy and his glasses were mysteriously missing. Ron tried to ignore all these glaring facts and he kept his outward spirits up to try and keep up Harry's as well.

_Smooth one Weasley, real smooth. Let's not allow him to forget the shitty happenings of his day and let's dwell on them, point out the obvious shall we? At least you didn't yell "Wow, you sure are a dime short in the looks department today, aren't you?" Aw, well, he's not crying over it so you shouldn't either. You're his Weasley, he expects ridiculously silly outbursts like that. Now fix up this situation and try and remain happy. Outwardly happy, that's the key. Just put a smile on your face._

Ron continued to beam as Harry replied swiftly, "Didn't truthfully do all that much to get this, but hey, when have I ever?"

Ron's smile quickly slid off his face, and he cocked his head to one side and screwed up his face with a little bit of sympathy. "Just another craptastic day in a string of craptastic days I suppose, but you look like you need a little bit of professional help on this one. And before I forget to tell you, I'm really pleased to see you back where you belong."

Harry indeed looked as though he should have been admitted to a hospital days ago, but before he could reply his disdain at the idea of traveling again, a thud came from behind him and everyone's attentions were turned towards the now emerald green flames, as the ever regal Draco Malfoy stepped quickly out of them looking a little more than ruffled.

"And really unhappy at seeing _that_," he spat, looking Draco directly in his burning gray eyes,_ "_where it doesn't belong." Ron's face turned sour near instantly at the boy before him, and he instantly received a tap on the head from his so far silent Father for the stinging remark.

"You watch your tongue there Ronald, Dumbledore warned you in specific to be civil in the least." Ron scowled at his Father but knew enough as to not retort.

"I'll try my best as long as he does." The two boys continued to stare but this remark turned the torch over Draco to have the floor.

"Trust me Weasley, I'll be trying my absolute best."

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Draco half expected to be obliterated immediately by his Father's stinging spells, and was on the brink of crying at seeing his Mother's face torn in grief. She had been yelling at him not to go, he was sure but he was too overloaded to even register what exactly she had been saying. He opened his eyes to an even less friendly scene, if it was possible. Stepping out into 12 Grimmauld Place still clutching the tiny scrap of parchment that had led him here, he was greeted by a silent throng of people all throwing looks of hate and contempt towards him. The first person he saw was Harry, who looked at him for only a second with his slightly glazed over green eyes, standing only a step to the side of him. Then he locked eyes with a set of gleaming blue ones, ready to rip him to pieces by the looks of them.

"And really unhappy at seeing _that _where it doesn't belong."

_Well don't I feel just welcome here. Absolutely peachy about being with this lovely group of people._

Ron Weasley promptly was tapped on the head by his Father, and Draco took the moment to look down and compose himself.

"You watch your tongue there Ronald, Dumbledore warned you in specific to be civil in the least." His Father scolded sternly as Draco bored holes into his shoes with his eyes, blinking back tears he couldn't possibly shed in front of all these people, especially when Ronald Weasley was being scolded into apologizing to him.

_Just calm down. Block out your Father, block out your Mother. Crying and breaking down now will NOT help your case, you must be strong. Emotion only makes you weaker, an overflow of it does nothing but make you a weak person. God gave you style and grace for a reason, just put a smile upon your face and be strong. Now if not ever again, forget all human emotion and put on a show for all of them, you must win them over or it's all over for you. This isn't school where if they don't like you, you have a little spat and that's the end of it. You'll be dead if you don't fit in here._

"Trust me Weasley; I'll be trying my absolute best."

Draco didn't give a fake grin, or smirk down his nose at the people all staring at him. He said this as sincerely as possible, and it was an amazingly easy feat not to lie because this time he truly meant it. The tears that had been welling up in his eyes were blinked back in seconds, all the feeling of fear and sadness were pushed to the far back of his brain where that would inevitably be visited later.

"I've no place else to go, and I chose to come here understanding I can't exactly go back. I've fallen from the good graces on the other side, and have been doing so for a while because I frankly don't believe in any of the bullocks they preach. Meeting Harry today was the final straw a guess…"

Draco's speech was cut off very unceremoniously by a very, _very_ pissed off Weasley. Two to be exact. Fred and George had returned from storing Harry's possessions and were more than a little riled up to verbally abuse Draco in an environment where it would be allowed. To a point.

"Why in the ruddy hell," began Fred with a gusto,

"Would a single person within these walls," added George, looming scarily towards the somewhat shorter Draco,

"Ever even dream the thought," continued Fred,

"Of trusting the likes," added George,

"Of you?" finished Fred, folding his arms across his chest and cocking his head, waiting for an answer.

Draco swallowed once, thinking _I am literally swallowing my pride for this answer, they had better believe it._ before answering out loud,

"Because I can't possibly be welcomed back after coming here." He glanced around the room to scan for faces, and recognized many red haired patrons glaring at him contemptuously , many faces young and old that he had never before seen, and a few Ministry of Magic workers that he had the fortune of meeting with his Father on a few occasions. All glared at him silently and waited for him to explain himself, so he avoided their eyes by blurring his vision while speaking, then continued his explanation.

"You're all thinking I'm just here to collect secrets then sneak out and dish them to all my evil little friends, right? Well I'll promise you I absolutely will not, and even if I did I'd be well … punished," Draco stumbled on this word, remembering a few such 'punishments' that weren't at all to his liking, "and Voldemort would have to wait a little while before he could even touch me. My Father might give him a run for his money on the punishment scale. But that's beside the point, I'd be killed for this stunt anyways."

"Yeah right, bring in the good stories and they kill you? And your Father would make Voldemort himself wait?' Ron looked incredulously at Draco, eyes wide and arms crossed in defiance.

Draco chuckled a little under his breath and responded for the second time in an hour, "Trust me, you don't know my Father."

"Kill you, will they? More like reward you beyond your wildest dreams, you filthy little – Harry? Are you alright?"

Ron first attacked Draco with a vengeance then snapped out of his tirade because of Harry's unnatural swaying. Draco watched him turn quickly to lean against the oversized table before him and everybody in the room murmured they're worries.

"I'm fine," he barely whispered, then his entire body gave a shake from head to toe and he bent over double, pale hands still clutching the table for support and gave a shaky laugh. "Actually, I'm really not, can you tell?"

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Harry drifted in and out of concentrating on the people and things around him, closing his eyes every so often just a little longer than necessary to calm his racing nerves. The rough hewn stone walls around him seemed to be closing in on him, the flickering firelight from the roaring fire and torches made him feel like he was constantly swaying to and fro. His lungs burned, he felt as though underwater and unable to breathe for not the first time within the hour.

Ron's voice of concern snapped him out of his swaying and his eyes shot open as he realized everyone in the room was studying him intently.

He had to grip the table before him to avoid falling over completely, and tried to respond

"I'm fine," he barely breathed out, inwardly having a panic attack at how hard breathing was again.

_What is going on? I feel like I'm drowning again, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't breathe, I can't even think straight… I'm on the way down, I need help, and I'm not fine, what am I saying?_

A chill ran from the tips of his fingers down to his toes and he felt his complete body shake with it once. He managed a shaky laugh at his own blatant lies and stood bent over double gripping the table with all his might to stay up.

"Actually, I'm really not, can you tell?"

Ron was instantly at his right side, bending over to try and look him in the face. Draco had arrived just as quickly at his left, a comforting hand on his shoulder and his silky voice in his ear.

"Breathe Potter, you can't have another attack like the one a minute ago, and you and I both know you can't handle that. Just breathe…" Draco's voice purred into Harry's left ear and without even thinking he tried so hard to follow his instructions.

_Inhale deeply… Oh god, I can't there's no room for any air I'm… don't freak out, Potter, just exhale… there you go, keep going…_

He internally forced himself to keep breathing in and out even though it was so tough, and focused his eyes into Ron's on his right.

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"Harry? Harry, concentrate on me for a minute, can you do that?" Harry gave a tiny nod to show he was listening because speaking was obviously proving too difficult at that moment. "Harry, we're going to help you get back into the fireplace, we're going to St. Mungos to get you some treatment for all of this, okay? Just put your arms around us, that's good, just like that, come on, let's go…" Ron kept up a constant banter to make sure that Harry didn't drift off into la-la land which he had been visiting too often for the past few minutes. His Mother's shrill voice nattered on behind him, along with many other's filled with worry.

"Ronald you take care of him, we'll send a message to Dumbledore immediately…" she rambled on and on, wringing her hands with concern.

"Take care Harry, we'll be there in no time."

"Get better; we'll all be there to see you!"

"Hurry up you two, he's white as a sheet!"

Everyone showered Ron, Draco and Harry with cheerful thoughts and bits of advice as the three started together towards the fireplace, Ron and Draco each with one of Harry's arms around they're shoulders, nearly dragging him across the floor.

_He's ghastly pale, so white, too white. And he's sweating, his skin is just burning up, this is not good, not good at all. And his breathing… it's rasping, it's like he can't breathe… Oh, Harry, what's been done to you? What's caused all this?_

Thoughts ran a mile per minute through Ron's head, and only as the new trio stopped in front of the fireplace did he turn towards his mortal enemy, Draco. Draco began to open his mouth to say something, but Ron abruptly cut him off.

"Let me tell you something. When it's just you and me, we've nothing in common, and we're enemies, as always. But when Harry's involved, we put all that aside. He's comes first, we come second. Get it?"

"Yes." Was Draco's simple reply.

"Really got it?" he asked again, his deep blue eyes boring deep into Draco's stormy grey one's for any sign of rebellion.

"I said yes." He repeated, only allowing a tiny edge creeping into his voice. His eyes remained sincere however, he truly did care about Harry and that was all that was important to Ron at the moment.

"Good."

Draco only nodded in understanding, not spitting anything mean spirited back and Ron took heart in this.

_If Dumbledore could only see us now, being so civil!_

His Father came up to the fire and threw a large pinch of Floo powder into the fire, and they promptly stepped into them.

"Be careful, both of you," he started staring both of them in turn in their eyes, "we'll all be there in moments to see what's going on so don't run off and do anything … silly." Ron and Draco nodded they're compliance before Harry's minute voice cut in.

"Where are we off to then?" whispered Harry breathily towards his shoes, his face shining with sweat and his eyes yet again closed.

Ron and Draco spoke in perfect unison, "St. Mungos."

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	7. Color of Crimson

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

WARNING: SLASH! Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

**A/N:**This weeks excerpt is from Coldplay's Politik.

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**Chapter 7 – Color of Crimson**

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_And open up your eyes  
Open up your eyes  
Open up your eyes  
Just open up your eyes_

_Coldplay_

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_Where is this? Where am I? Breathe in…. don't cough, can't cough, very bad… breathe out… oh it hurts it hurts, concentrate on it and breathe in…That pounding is getting annoying, someone make it stop, make it stop…_

Harry's jumbled thoughts incoherently rushed through his head; every so often he would try and communicate an idea to Ron or Draco but nothing he said seemed to make any sense to them.

"Please make it stop Draco, please…" he whispered to his fair haired companion, leaning his head heavily upon his small shoulder.

"Make what stop Harry? We're here now; we're at St. Mungo's. You tell them what's wrong and they'll try and make it stop okay?" Harry heard Draco faintly whisper back to him, his voice calm and gentle in his ear.

"Sure, alright. They'll make it stop." He mumbled softly back before collapsing completely into his companions' arms.

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"Harry? HARRY!" shouted Ron as he struggled to lay his now unconscious friend onto the hard wood floors beneath them. "Will somebody bring a stretcher, now? We need help! Harry? Wake up mate, you're scaring me…" Draco held Harry's small wrist in his comparably tiny hand, concentrating hard with his eyes closed on making sure there was a pulse as Ron tried desperately to rouse his friend.

"Come on Harry, wake up…" he continued to murmur, tapping Harry's face lightly to no avail.

"He has a really weak pulse Ron; I don't know what's wrong with him this time." Draco voice stayed calm, showing no emotion or worry in it.

"Move back boys, here we go." Two Healers had sprinted the lengths of the St. Mungo's reception hall to meet up with their three new visitors. All the paintings in gilded frames along the walls were peering around at the scene, starting to talk between each other and to various other Healers who were fast approaching.

"It's Harry alright and he looks pretty shaken up."

"He's not moving, he's not moving? Did he have a fit?"

"Who're those two? Did you see what went wrong?"

"Tell the portraits on the next floor up that they're all arriving and that they'll probably need a private room!"

"Is it _really_ Harry Potter?"

All the paintings tried to interrogate the two boys but they managed to completely ignore them and to answer all the Healers questions in seconds.

"This is Harry Potter, correct? I'm not completely mistaken?" asked the first Healer, a burly man of about thirty with thick dark brown hair and caring deep brown eyes. He and the other Healer were wearing the uniform of St. Mungo's, lime green robes with a bone and wand entwined.

"Yes." Answered Draco curtly, receiving an evil glare from Ron but not backing down for a second.

"What exactly happened before you arrived here?" asked the second Healer, another man who appeared in his mid twenties at most. He had sparkling bright green eyes so like Harry's that it was uncanny. Both men carefully picked up Harry's limp body and deposited it onto a blue canvas stretcher that the first had summoned towards them. Then he magicked it into the air and they all began to briskly walk towards an elevator held open by a skinny, tall blonde nurse.

"He had a coughing fit a while back, maybe twenty minutes or something. It was really terrible but he said it had never happened before so it's not something he's had for a long time." Ron felt his face blanch at the thought, he was obviously shocked at just how bad Harry's condition was. "He completely couldn't breathe; it lasted for maybe 3 minutes at most. The same thing was going to happen a few minutes ago but we calmed him down and he was pretty much fine until…now." Draco stopped to breathe as the elevator lurched upwards towards they're final destination.

Ron watched the first Healer nod thoughtfully, rubbing his chin and thinking over the facts Draco had just given him.

"Exsto lanunculas adflatus adfabilis…"The second Healer was busy at work, muttering a string of incantations until various bottles and phials appeared to float over Harry's sleeping body. He pondered a moment at which one to choose, then grabbed a tiny glass bottle with light blue powder and uncapped it under Harry's nose.

"That's quite a mouthful…" mumbled Ron, chuckling a little and giving the second Healer an encouraging smile. His pale face and scared eyes betrayed his laugh, but it helped none the less. "What's your names, by the way?"

"I'm Arthur," replied the second as Harry began to stir, "and my partner in crime here is Justin. And this should do the trick, I believe." He said with a small smile and within moments Harry awoke with his eyes the size of saucers.

_Isn't that some kind of omen? The Healer that works on Harry has my Dad's name? If it is, it's a good one, and we need all the luck we can get…_

"What the bloody hell is THAT?" Harry asked suddenly before closing his eyes and gasping in pain.

"Myrtlewood, a completely harmless plant with a very strong earthy odor, perfect for reviving people. While you are with us, what does your breathing feel like?" asked Arthur, leaning over Harry to grab two more glass bottles, one filled with a thick red liquid, the other with a clear one.

"I…can't I just can't…it's like breathing underwater…" Harry gasped between every few words, closing his eyes in pain each time. The Healer called Justin walked around to the other side of his cot and muttered a quick spell to create a clear plastic mask which floated just barely off his face.

"This will supply you with more oxygen because you aren't even getting enough breath in to begin with. Where did you suffer these other injuries?" he asked briskly.

Ron watched Harry visibly calm down a little as the mask levitated itself just off his face. Ron thought that he opened his mouth to tell where his injuries had come from, but instead he slowly replied, "I can't tell you. Sorry, I just can't…"

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Draco fell back against the cold metal wall of the elevator, wedged between utter revulsion, complete horror and scared sense of shock. He watched as Ron began to yell, his eyes wide open in fear and barely keeping himself back from Harry's stretcher.

"Harry! Harry! What the hell does this mean, what's wrong with him? Fix it, you fix it, you have to!" he was yelling in anger at the two Healers who had been completely caught off guard by Harry's violent reaction.

He had opened his mouth to speak, but the coughing fit they had avoided minutes earlier had finally caught up with him. His coughing this time lifted his frail body off the stretcher into a halfway-up sitting position, but instead of air, blood spewed forth and into the plastic mask still levitating on top of his face. He continued to gurgle and bluster, crimson colored blood still rushed from his mouth with every hacking cough and spilling down the pale sides of his face. Both Healers rushed into immediate action, Justin pinning Harry back to the bed, Arthur mixing small amounts of the red potion with the clear one, apparently looking for an exact shade of pinkish violet it was turning.

"Deletrius!" Justin removed the mask upwards and near instantly got rid of it with a disintegrating spell. Droplets of blood aligned in a perfectly strait line along Harry's nose and forehead, a sight that both disgusted Draco as much as it terrified him.

"Scourgify." He muttered, pulling out his wand without thinking and pointing it at Harry's tainted face to get rid of all the blood.

_Blood? Blood? That's bad, very, very, bad! This has all gone wrong, I can't fix this, and nobody can just FIX this! What's happening to you Harry? Why does this always happen to you? And why can't you tell them, why can't you say it was your Uncle? Unless…_

Draco was hit full force with the thought that the amazing wonder boy Harry Potter had kept this huge secret from his only two real friends in the world. The entire world, for that matter.

_I'm the only other person in the world who knows; his second mortal enemy? Well, technically his third right after his deranged Uncle and Voldemort… what kind of life does he lead where no matter where he goes one of us three is there to make it Hell?_

The heavy metal doors finally swung open and a team of apparently experienced Healers and Mediwizards were already waiting for them as soon as they arrived. Draco's thoughts were rudely interrupted and he and Ron were both pushed out of the way by invading Healers vying for a spot close to the stretcher. Justin and Arthur were soon engulfed by the crowd, everyone comparing thoughts and rushing the stretcher into a waiting open room across the hallway, leaving Draco and Ron alone in their wake.

"You take care of him! You take good care of him! Better do a bloody good job at it!" Draco watched, fascinated as tears fought to get over the threshold of Ron's eyes, and a mature woman Healer with caring worn features stopped from the rushing crowd for a moment to comfort him.

"Only the best service will be received here, young sir. He is Harry Potter, after all."

She then turned on a clipped heel and rushed lastly into the room, closing the heavy wood doors behind her and snapping the worn yellow cotton curtains shut on the viewing windows.

"Damn right he is." Draco watched Ron mutter under his breath, sliding down the wall beside the door and at last allowing himself to dissolve into tears.

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Ron let it all go then, alone as he finally was in the long corridor. He wasn't even sure what floor they were on, or what was wrong with Harry but he knew he was worried and for once couldn't do a single thing to help.

"Uh, Ron? You going to be ok? I'm rubbish at anything remotely touchy feely, I warn you now." Draco's ever calm and put together voice penetrated Ron's thoughts and he angrily looked up to see him looking down at him.

"Fuck. Off. You sneering little Malfoy bitch. You've no right to be here, you don't even know him."

Ron angrily swiped the hot tears off his face with the palms of his hands, then looked up to register that Draco was no longer looming over him but had slid down the wall a little ways away from him. He sat with his platinum haired head leaning back against the wall, eyes closed, shivering without seeming to notice.

"Sorry. I know it seems I'm intruding but I need to know how he's doing as much as you do." He whispered, not opening his eyes the entire time, but signing deeply and rubbing them with the heels of his palms. Ron realized how deep his remarks had been to reduce a Malfoy to sitting down, eyes closed and whispering an apology.

"And don't call me Ron. Weasley is the endearing term I've grown accustomed to, so use it and make me feel like there's a semblance of normalcy in my life. And why the bloody hells are you so cold, shivering like that? It's warm in here." He wasn't about to apologize too but kept the scathing remarks to a minimum.

He watched watery eyed as Draco smiled a little and turned to open his light grey eyes towards him. "To the first comment, I quite enjoy Ron, thank you, and in a house overrun with Weasley's it'll get confusing too quickly for words. And to the second, I just am cold, all the time."

Ron couldn't help but let a tiny smile creep onto his lips and he responded, "My family have names, just so you know."

"Please teach me, I'll die if I have to refer to everyone as 'Ms.Weasley', 'Mr. Weasley the second' and 'Sir' all the time." Ron watched in amusement as a tiny but noticeable blush crept on Draco's pale cheeks and his grin spread as he began to recite his family's names.

"Well there's my Mom and Dad, Mrs. And Mr. Weasley to you. Then there's Bill, the eldest, he works for Gringotts here. Then Charlie, he _was_ a dragon breeder in Romania but he came back to work with the Order and he has a new wife as well, Heather and a daughter Hazel. Then there Percy, do NOT say his name in the house if you know what's good for you…"

"Why's that? Percy was the Prefect, he should be loved! Adored even!" interrupted Draco quizzically.

"He's a bloody traitor, that's what! He'd turn us all in if it granted him an ounce of power… Anyways, forget about him, next up are Fred and George and no, you really can't tell them apart."

"Oh, yes you can." drawled Draco, smirking in an 'Oh-I-Just-Know-Everything-Way' at Ron.

"Well we can but no-one else seems to at all. How do you do it then, smarty pants?" asked Ron, secretly wondering what it could possibly be.

"Well, if they're alone you can just ask them where their brother went and go by process of elimination," Draco stated matter-of-factly and Ron verbally pounced on him.

"That completely doesn't count! You are such a cheap out!" he yelled, turning a little to sit Indian style in front of a still smirking Draco.

"Or," he continued, still smirking, "you can tell because Fred leans on his left foot a little and George stoops slightly forwards."

"They so do not! You just made that up! How would you notice something like that?' said Ron, still incredulous to the idea of Draco Malfoy analyzing his elder twin brothers.

"I always wanted to find a way to tell them apart since first year, and I did by the end of it." Draco was grinning at Ron's expression of awe and then snapped his mouth shut at Ron's next unexpected question.

"Why'd you clean Harry up in the elevator? The Healers would have done it in a moment anyways." Ron watched Draco's expression change instantly from open and happy to closed up and cold. His eyes scared him most of all, above any of his other striking features.

_How can they do that? One minute they're sparkling grey, full of laughter and happiness, next they've completely closed up and they're cold and calculating again! They really betray him, those eyes…_Draco's reserved voice interrupted Ron's thoughts.

"I hate blood. I loathe it for reasons you'll hopefully never know. That's it, I wanted it gone to I got rid of it."

Ron was taken slightly aback by Draco's reaction. _Most people just say they don't like the sight of it, end if story. It's a pet peeve, something that grosses you out, not something you hate! Don't push it Ron, it's obviously a touchy subject._

"Ok. Sorry to ask." He mumbled, taking to staring at his peeling sneaker bottoms rather than directly into Draco's harsh eyes.

"It's fine. Rest of family I know, I suppose? There's you, Ginny's the only true born girl, and that's it right?" Ron was glad for Draco to change the tone back to light and easygoing, something Ron was abysmal at.

"Yeah, that's it I suppose." Ron concentrated on peeling off a bit of rubber as a string of muffled yells emitted from the room beside them.

"You don't have a special niche do you? There's the eldest, the first married, the smartest, the twins, you, and the only girl. I guess Harry's your only true shining point?"

Ron cringed inwardly at Draco's unexpected scathing report of his family situation.

_You got something deep on him, he got you back, fair and square. And you know it's true anyways, your nothing special, Harry IS your only redeeming point…_

"Yes, I suppose so." Ron meant to not show Draco how deep his words had cut him but his voice broke and two fat tears rolled down his freckled skin. He knew Draco saw this, but he thankfully pretended not to notice and turned away to close his eyes again.

"I'm sorry, again. Shouldn't have lied about something like that to piss you off. You know what they say, old habits die hard." Ron took the moment to wipe the tears away and sniffled once to reply.

"It is true and you know it Malfoy. What's my redeeming quality? What does Ron Weasley, the stupid, useless middle child have that no-one else does?" Ron sputtered angrily, saddened that Draco was apologizing just to salvage his frail ego.

He opened his eyes wide in genuine shock. "You are the best chess player Hogwarts has seen in centuries. That also means you're an amazing strategist. Everyone knows that, silly." He then got up to stretch his legs, but then walked over to a comfy red sofa-bench.

"Come on over, these are much more comfortable." He patted the little spot beside him lightly, and turned to watch Ron contemplate whether or not to come over and join him.

"Oh, for Merlins sake, I don't bite." Ron begrudgingly stood and walked over to the much more comfortable sofa-bench…thing.

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"Hard, that is." Draco couldn't help but add that last comment, smirking at his temporary companion's slight shock

"Kidding, kidding. You can take a joke, right?" Draco continued to smirk, even after Ron's less then quaint response.

"Sod off Malfoy. You still haven't explained why you even care to be here." Draco's smile slowly fell off his lips; he bit them in a nervous habit and heard his Fathers scolding voice in his head.

"_Don't bite your lips Draco. It's unbefitting, nervous habits show just that, that you're nervous. And it ruins your pretty lips; they're perfect without you mucking them up."_

Draco shuddered a little but continued to chew on his bottom lip anyways.

"_I thought I told you to fuck. Off." _he berated his Fathers voice within the confines of him mind.

The little voice in his head didn't respond, and Draco realized that Ron was still staring expectantly with his deep blue eyes for an answer.

"I suppose I saw what happened to him, and got emotionally attached. I feel we've become…allies… if nothing less today and I actually care about Harry's well being. It's not so hard to fathom that I actually care about some people, is it?" Draco watched Ron's face go from some kind of astonishment, to a little bit of hidden anger.

"We, Hermione and I, have been with Harry since his first day at school. Our lives are all dotted by various terrible, heinous things inflicted not only on him but ourselves and our families as well and we've become really good at dealing with it. Tell me what happened today Draco, secrets are the only thing that rips us apart."

Draco saw the pleading in Ron's deep blue eyes, how much it hurt him that his best friend couldn't tell him what happened and his childhood enemy knew every detail. Draco had to turn away and think over it clearly.

_I should, I really should tell him, and he deserves to know more than I ever will. But this is Harry's secret and he's the one who should be doing the telling. If he's so ashamed, he has to overcome it by himself; I can't interfere and do all the work for him._

Draco was torn inwardly, but as he opened his mouth he decided which path to choose.

"I…I can't say." Ron was immediately deflated like a balloon, his frame stooping and his head hanging low. "It's something Harry's going to have to face sooner than later, and it's absolutely not my place to be saying it for him." A great shiver ran through him, and Ron stopped loathing him for a moment to ask again if he was ok.

"I can do warming charms you know, they're not that bad." Draco shook his head no, scared that he would over do it and burn him through all his pent up anger. Draco couldn't stand to sit beside Ron anymore, the pain and anger emanating off his was palpable and Draco didn't want to be anywhere near him when he let it loose.

"I need to…go. I hate this color anyways, crimson. It's everything I loathe rolled into one. Gryffindor house, blood, my f…" He abruptly stood up mid-word, brushing his robes off hastily and heading down towards the men's bathroom sign posted in the corridor.

"I'm off to the loos. And I'm sorry Ron; you deserve to know about this more than I do. And you will, Harry will tell you in his own time. I'm sure of that." Ron just sat there on the bench, speechless, and Draco turned curtly on his heel and continued to walk away.

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	8. Secret

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

WARNING: SLASH! Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

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**Chapter 8 – Secrets**

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_I know I don't know you  
But I want you so bad  
Everyone has a secret  
But can they keep it  
Oh no they can't_

_-Maroon 5_

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Draco watched the water fall into the white tile sink, watched it flow around his pale extended fingers, waiting for it to get colder, cold enough to wake him from all…this. He watched his tears fall from his face and into the basin, watched them swirl and fall away into nothingness. Down the drain, away and gone forever.

_I just need a pick me up, I'll be on my way in a moment, they'll all see. I don't have breakdowns, it's now allowed ever, ever to happen, and it can't happen now. I am together, I am one, I am FINE._

His fingers were now freezing in the taps constant flow; he cupped his hands around the rushing water and bent over to splash it on his face. Hot tears burned his visage with shame, shame at them, himself, everything.

He continued to splash the frigid water on his face, the sobs that he had tried so hard to hold back were choking him, flowing out of him and breaking down all his barriers. All his memories, all the feelings of the day, the week, his entire life were coming out and he couldn't hold them back any longer.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry. You'll never know how bad I always feel, you'll never be allowed in, not until you break me. My secrets safe until you give up yours." Draco spoke to himself in gasps between sobs, collapsing against the cold, white tile wall across from the still running sink. It held no warmth, it was hard and the tiles on the floor dug into his hands as he pushed them deeper into the floor, letting the sobs overtake him.

"I'm so sorry Mother, I'm so, so sorry, more so then you'll ever know. You didn't deserve any of the bad in your life, but you let it take you over. You became wretched and I'm sorry for you, for giving up." Draco covered his face with his hands; they stung from the tiles beneath him. Each sob wracked his entire body, he spoke in short gasps in-between them, to himself only.

"And Father, I'm sorry a human life was wasted on you. Whatever you get in the end, you'll deserve it. You should have stopped; you should have never started…" Draco mumbled off to himself, saying things no-one but himself could possibly understand.

"And Harry, I'm so sorry for you too. You know what these secrets are like; you've had your own for far too long, too long. I'll make pact with you." Draco sat up a little straighter; his Fathers cool voice in his thoughts.

"_Don't stoop Draco. Keeping a good posture is important, it demands respect."_

"I THOUGHT I TOLD YOU TO FUCKING SHUT UP! I'M SPEAKING WITH HARRY!" Draco screamed at the empty room before him, tears still rolling down his face, and he straightened himself a little more in his sitting position.

"Now Harry, when you tell your secret, to Ron, to a Healer, to Dumbledore, anybody, I'll tell mine. It's all on you, I'll tell you mine when you get rid of yours, and then we'll share them! We won't be alone with them anymore." Draco whispered the last thought to himself and began crying in earnest again, wishing desperately for somebody, anybody to hold him, to comfort him.

"I'm not alone with mine though. You have your Uncle, I have It to remember. It never will never go away Harry, It's always there." He still whispered to himself, and then let his head collapse into his hands, his knees pulled up tightly against his chest.

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Ron sat on the bench, staring deeply at the wood doors across from him, watching. Watching for a rustle of the pale yellow curtains, a shadow beneath the door, it swinging open with hopefully some good news. Nothing. He got nothing. Voices could be barely heard from beneath the crack in the door, occasional silence that gripped Ron's throat, then the eventual rush of talking and movement.

He sat there for a few moments, completely alone with his thoughts. He was all cried out for the day, hopefully, he wasn't sure he could take anymore of it.

_Harry'll be fine. He always is. Stop worrying, it gets you nowhere. They're experienced in there; they know what they're doing. Just get some rest; they'll bring you news when you need it…_

Ron had closed his eyes only moments before the metal elevator came again to a halt on the floor, the doors swinging wide as an entire group of people stumbled out of it. His Mother at the front accompanied by his Father, Remus Lupin, and a the new girl for the Order who he had pushed out of his way earlier. The girl was the calmest among them, walking serenely over to the bench Ron had previously been sitting on and taking a seat. She was gorgeous by any standards, and Ron's age as well. He was intrigued by her, and he wondered vaguely why she'd want to come here for Harry when she didn't even know him. Ron had no clue who she was or what she was doing there but at that moment he didn't have it in him to really care.

"Mum. He's in there, it was…" Ron's throat constricted as he spoke, his eyes began to water again but his Mothers shrieks interrupted him immediately.

"BLOOD! WHAT'S GONE WRONG, ARE YOU HURT? IS HARRY? WHERE'S DRACO?" she rushed to his side immediately, the group behind her wide eyed with shock at her outburst.

Ron looked down to realize that indeed a few droplets of Harry's blood had landed on his shirt, too little for him to have even realized it to be there.

"Mom, calm down, I'm fine. Harry was… well I can't sugar coat it, he was coughing up blood and it was really awful. He's in there, "he jerked his thumb at the still closed doors, trying to divert attention away from his near overloaded eyes, "and Draco's in the loos to collect himself. You can't go in, but they'll come out with news as soon as possible. Ok?" Ron's voice had spiked, he was about to break down again, after remembering just how terrible the situation was. His Mother gave him a reassuring hug, and he let all his bad feelings wash away.

"Oh, Ronnie dearest, you three shouldn't have to deal with all this. You need to go clean this all up, you run off to the loos as well I suppose. I'm proud of you though, for taking charge and going through all this." For a moment in his Mother's warm embrace, Ron had just let loose, melting into her familiar form, figuring out how important having someone to hold when you needed it most was. She smelled of cinnamon and spices, and her warm form was all he needed at that moment.

"Thanks Mum." He mumbled into her, quickly turning away towards the bathrooms to avoid showing the group the tears now streaming untamed down his face.

"He'll be fine, they have a good team on this floor." The girl said lightly as he walked away, in a tone of airiness normally reserved for Luna Lovegood. His Father spoke for the first time since they're arrival to question her on this.

"How exactly would you know that, my dear?" he asked, a little curiosity creeping into his voice. The girl had arrived only yesterday and everyone was wondering who and what she was. All they knew was her first name, Minta, and apart from that she was a mystery, Dumbledore's guest. Ron slowed slightly, hoping to catch her response before reaching the loos.

"I've been here a number of times, much worse off than Harry mind you, and I'm still here, right? They must be doing something correctly." Ron had only a moment to be astonished by her response before going completely at a loss for words by the scene before him in the loos.

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Draco felt like the stream of tears could never end, would never end. He was alone in his own personal Hell, until he walked in. Ron stood before him, wide eyed with shock and knocked speechless. Draco just stared into his eyes, tears still flowing down his face, occasionally hiccoughing and choking on his sobs.

"Draco… What's wrong? Why are you crying?" Ron turned from him for only a second to turn off the water and was stopped dead in his tracks.

"DON'T TURN IT OFF! IT NEED IT, STOP THAT!" Draco screamed at him and Ron instantly stopped and turned around with his hands up to show his innocence.

"I'm not going to touch it Draco, I won't touch a thing." Ron gradually approached him, walking slowly to avoid startling him.

Draco was sick and tired of keeping his thoughts inside of his head; he decided to let out everything that popped into his skull instead.

"I'm not crazy you know, I don't bite hard. I told you this a little while ago. You don't have to walk so damn slowly, I just like the sound of the water. That's all." Draco's voice shook as he spoke, not very convincing but Ron put down his hands and simply walked over and sat beside him.

"Why are you crying Draco?" he asked again, speaking so softly that a fresh set of tears erupted from Draco's eyes and spilled onto his cheeks.

"Because everything's so wrong and I can't fix a damn thing. I can't fix my Mother, or my Father, or Harry, or even myself." He stopped for a quick breath and dared a glance into the ginger haired boys eyes. They were red rimmed from his earlier crying, but they remained such a clear blue that Draco was lost in them. They were anything but threatening, they held so much comfort that Draco didn't even think of lying to them. "And I'm crying because my tears are hot and they burn on my skin and I'm so full of shame. I'm ashamed at who I am, what I'm becoming."

_WHAT ARE YOU DOING? You're saying things you'll regret, you're opening up in a moment of broken clarity – _

Draco's old mind scolded him, but all his barriers had been broken down and he no longer cared what anyone thought of him. He officially had nothing left to lose. He had kissed Harry Potter, he had disobeyed his parents, and he had been caught crying in a bathroom by his childhood enemy. At least for now, for this moment and for this person, he didn't care what he did or what they thought. He continued to ramble, taking Ron's slight nods as encouragement to continue.

"I've so many problems and secrets and they eat at you, you know? They just keep going, and eating at you, and eventually you just break. See Harry's were on the outside, he's been broken out in the open where everyone can see. Mine are on the inside, people don't know just by looking at me how fucked up I am and they kill me from the inside, in my mind. This has been a long time coming, me breaking down like this. And all I have left is a tile wall, a sink and a tap." Draco folded into a tighter ball, catching Ron's look of complete bewilderment at his last little speech. He just cried, with no shame, and was shocked by Ron's warm breath on his ear.

"Would you…uhhh…like a hug?" he breathed into his ear, suddenly very close.

"Yes. That would be wonderful."

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Ron sat in complete bewilderment at the crouching figure before him. The Draco Malfoy that ripped him to shreds with his cold, grey eyes, he could handle that. The Draco Malfoy who sat alone in a public washroom sobbing was a whole other ballpark. And not only was he crying over his depressing state of a life, he was having a complete breakdown as well.

"I've so many problems and secrets and they eat at you, you know? They just keep going, and eating at you, and eventually you just break. See Harry's were on the outside, he's been broken out in the open where everyone can see. Mine are on the inside, people don't know just by looking at me how fucked up I am and they kill me from the inside, in my mind. This has been a long time coming, me breaking down like this. And all I have left is a tile wall, a sink and a tap."

Draco just rambled on about everything to him and nothing to Ron. He glanced up occasionally and Ron was lost in his stormy grey eyes. They were full of hurt, anger, shame and complete grief. He wasn't sure exactly who these emotions were directed at, himself or his family. But by the end of his speech he was so moved by them that he decided to let his guard down without even realizing it.

He leaned in closer to the crying boy before him, and whispered without thinking at all, "Would you…uhhh…like a hug?"

_What. The. FUCK? Was that! 'Do you want a hug?' Why not just snog him right here, or go and make a cup of herbal tea? How freaking odd can you get Weasley? He'll never let you live this down; you are officially the hugest imbecile of the year!_

Ron mentally berated himself and was once again stopped in his tracks by the one and only unpredictable Draco Malfoy.

"Yes. That would be wonderful." Came his response, so quiet Ron wasn't completely sure he had actually said it or if he had imagined it. His mind rapidly debated whether or not to actually hug him now that he had asked, and thankfully his soft side one out.

_You found out only a few minutes ago how important it is to have anybody there for you when you need it most. You have your entire family, your mom, your friends. Draco has nobody for him, and right now you are the closest thing to a friend he has. So just give up on the 'Manly-man' thing and hug him, you peculiar little man._

Draco just sat there waiting, his eyes lost out in La-La-Land, his voice now only heard within his own head. Ron leaned over and embraced him, and felt his tiny frame wrap his arms around him. Draco was only a tiny bit shorter than Ron, and slightly smaller so he was a perfect fit. Ron felt him trying hard not to cry into his shoulder and disarmed him immediately by a tiny gesture. He reached up and stroked his platinum hair, reveling in how soft it was, and whispered soothing thoughts to Draco.

"Shhh, it's fine now, you have us. We're your family now, don't worry about a thing. Just sit here a while, we'll help you sort everything out. Shh, quiet now, everything will be alright…" Ron continued to stroke Draco's baby fine hair, whispering sweet comforts to his shaking frame, leaning against the cold tile wall for support.

_This isn't so bad. I mean, he really does need it and it would be beyond cruel to even thing about walking out and leaving him here, alone. He really is one of us now; he's definitely on our side. And if he needs a friend and some family to get him through this, we're just the people to give it to him. _

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"What could they possibly be doing in there?" Mrs. Weasley eyed the men's room doorway suspiciously.

"It's been more than a rough day on the both of them dear, let them have some time." Arthur Weasley was stepping carefully around all of his wife's questions, afraid of her snapping at him under the current stress.

"That's exactly it, they might need a little comfort or something and _I_ can't go in there," she nudged him on with her elbow a little towards the doorway, nodding her head in his direction of travel. "Just check on them dearest, I'll feel much better knowing that they're both perfectly ok."

Arthur rolled his eyes at a slightly smiling Lupin who had the sense in him to remain silent whilst among a worried Molly Weasley, but continued to walk on, careful not to appear too slow lest his wife yell at him for tardiness. He ambled up to the doorway in good time, gripped the dull brass handle firmly …

And walked face first into his youngest son, nearly toppling over as they're heads collided painfully.

"OW! What the bloody hell…" mumbled Ron, rubbing his forehead in and groaning outwardly.

Lupin and Molly shared a small chuckle at this, Lupin going back to pacing the hallway comfortably after the dismount of tension, Molly to wringing her hands and smiling nervously at her son and husband.

"You watch your mouth there Ronald…come along boys, Ron your mothers getting a little worried and a bit…antsy."

Mr. Weasley and Ron shared a knowing smile and look at this, both understanding fully what Molly Weasley was like when she got 'antsy.'

"Mum," Ron called out down the hallway, "any news?" he asked, exiting the bathroom followed closely by an apparently calm and collected Draco Malfoy.

"None so far my dear, a nice Healer woman came out a while ago to tell us that it might be a while before we get anything at all."

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Minta watched closely as Mr. Weasley, Ron and Draco left the bathroom, dissecting them piece by piece. Mr. Weasley simply looked a little flustered, his son a little more so. She noticed Ron's eyes were a little red around the edges, but that was to be only to be expected. The same look on Draco Malfoy however, wasn't.

He kept completely calm on the outside, fighting the urge to laugh out loud at Ron and his Father's collision and keeping a mask on as he followed Ron blindly into the hallway. She had heard them a little bit in the bathroom even though no one else could. She had heard water splashing and falling, crying, talking, screaming and yelling, all indistinct. She knew that the chuckling Ron was really as depressed as ever, and the ever perfect Draco was hurting inside more then he cared to show anyone around him.

_He's amazing at that, that ability to turn off your feeling and go on autopilot. I want to learn to fool people like that, to have a complete persona to where when I feel like it. _

Anyone watching him on a surface level would see him as collected and completely in control. His face was passive and unmoving; he wasn't sweating, biting his lips or his nails. His back was straight, his shoulders firm and his head held high, as any proud Malfoy should be held.

Minta saw all these trivial things, and much, much more. His hands were balled into tight fists inside his pockets, his jaw was set a little too tight for a normal person to wear, and his eyes were tinged pink from crying recently. Minta could tell he had more to talk about than what he was saying that there was a side of Draco Malfoy she was yet to meet.

"What are you smiling at?" her head snapped around on her long, delicate neck, her deep brown eyes instantly on Remus Lupin's figure.

"Draco." She replied curtly, swiftly feigning interest in a portrait of a portly witch who was eating an apple slightly to the left of her questioner's head.

"And why would that be?" he asked still in a light tone, inquiring but not intruding into her own space. She was gazing off intently at the portrait, her head cocked to one side as though suddenly very involved.

"He has a few secrets that I find mildly interesting." She loftily replied again, tucking a stray curl from her face behind her ear and staring deep into his hazel eyes. Her face lit up from blank to a mischievous smile in seconds after this, as though she could read his mind through his eyes.

"And you do as well. It looks to me like I'm not the only one in the group with a fair few. But between me and you," her eyes still smiled at Lupin's shocked expression and she lowered her voice a little to keep the conversation private, "I'm fine for now holding onto my own until we all come out to each other. I think it's for the best, don't you?" She pulled away from him and began to check her nails and cuticles thoughtfully as though nothing had just happened. She didn't need to be watching Lupin to see the shocked look on his face, didn't need to see Draco watching her intently, trying to pick up on the uncomfortable feeling that she had been talking about him. She smiled a secret smile to herself, amused at the peculiar group she was stuck with for the present moment.

"Why don't we all head over to the tearoom for a little break, Merlin know's we all need it." Lupin was visibly ruffled and brought up the idea of everyone going to the tearoom for a little break; he hoped to shake off the creepy feeling left behind by Minta's ever probing eyes.

_People always want to get away from me after I look at them; I hope I don't affect them too badly. Most know about…me… and are on guard, calling me creepy and throwing that reason to attribute for the feeling. He doesn't know though, he probably thinks I can read his mind or something…_

Minta gave a little smile at the thought, finally looking up from her oh-so-interesting cuticles to watch the others. Mr. and Mrs. Weasley promptly agreed, not realizing Lupin's unease at his little conversation with her. Draco's cold grey eyes still gazed at her suspiciously but he remained silent, Ron picked up on his discomfort but not knowing what to attribute it to. Minta unfolded herself gracefully from her chair, joining them on their way to a different elevator shaft. They all spoke of happy, light thoughts and things, speaking of tea and biscuits and the daily news. Each and every one of them held a personal secret, some trivial and day to day, some deep enough to leave near visible life long scars. Minta was lost in her thoughts, running over them over and over in her head.

_This will be nothing if not…interesting. These people may be my last chance, and they sure as hell aren't as pure as they seem._

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_It is always the best policy to speak the truth – unless of course you are an exceptionally good liar._

_- Jerome K. Jerome_

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	9. Tea for Two or Tea for Six

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

UPDATED WARNING: SLASH and references to self harm. Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

**A/N:** This week's song excerpt is from Maroon 5 "Tangled".

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**Chapter 9 – Tea for Two or Tea for Six**

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_I'm full of regret  
For all things that I've done and said  
And I don't know if it'll ever be ok to show  
My face 'round here  
Sometimes I wonder if I disappear_

_- Maroon 5_

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"Three coffees, two black, one with one cream, an earl grey tea with two sugars', and plain water please." Draco peered at a hovering, glowing sign behind the aged witch, barely squinting his eyes in concentration as he rambled off the ordering list from his group. "That'll be all thank you."

"That'll be 2 Galleons, 7 Sickles and 16 Knuts if you please." She responded automatically after mentally adding up his total with WST (Wizarding Sales and Services Tax.) He tried to ignore her as she eyed him beadily behind her thick horn rimmed glasses, stretching a knarled hand to collect his money. He knew that he looked composed but his eyes were still a little puffy and red-rimmed. The last thing he needed was for her to try and comfort him or ask what was wrong. He blindly reached into a black silk money purse from within his pocket, dropping the coins into his hand and noting distractedly at how low the money in it was.

_That's fine, I'll just give the house elf it to top off at the bank in the morni… no, I can't think like that. Where has my mind gone when I need it most? Does nothing of the past day sink through my eternally thick skull? I will have to find another way to get money; I can't get whatever I want from Mommy and Daddy dearest anymore. I truly haven't thought this through in the least…_

These troubling thoughts added to his worry over Harry's condition caused his stomach to lurch and squeeze itself into double knots as he walked through the St. Mungo's Visitor's Tearoom. The walls were painted a light cream color and happy portraits of swaying trees and gurgling steams were everywhere around him, as uplifting as a room could possibly get. His party, Professor Lupin, Mr. and Mrs. Weasley, Ron and Minta were all in a deep conversation, but luckily it was neither on Harry's condition nor money.

Ron turned away from them for a moment while his Mother began to speak, asking in a low voice, "Are you sure you don't want anything Draco? You've not eaten a thing all day, I can tell. It'd do you good even just having a drink."

The truth was that Draco was starving and thirsty for anything, but his body couldn't consider eating anything right now. He'd just control it for a while, until supper at least.

His voice was full of real concern but it didn't sway Draco a bit.

"No, nothing for me. I'll just sit in on the conversation."

Ron smiled and pulled him up a chair, "You don't seem to realize that you're now a part of the group, thus making you a part of the conversation." Draco was temporarily stunned but quickly let himself fall into what Mrs. Weasley was saying.

"Well they're set from birth really; our parents fill them within us everyday without even thinking about it." stated Mrs. Weasley as everyone leaned forwards in their plush pink and blue chairs to listen. "I mean, Arthur and I have instilled certain values in all of our children depending on what we thought they needed to get through life. Not that they all listened to all the advice," she added, her husband smiling slightly, "but they _nearly_ all picked it up where it counts."

"But some peoples values aren't what everyone else thinks is right. We try to be fair as a general rule but society will always find some differences that they deem acceptable to hate." Minta spoke up suddenly from her corner chair, her soft and soothing voice etching itself in Draco's mind, and clued him into what they were discussing.

Prejudices. Perfect. Absofuckalutely fucking perfect for him.

_What are mine, sincerely? Blood lines are something I was taught to hate but I never understood why I should. Then there's money but I don't even have much of that now. And then…status? Your House at Hogwarts? Nothing seems very important at the moment._

"I mean we've all been made fun of for one thing or another by someone who's just different than us. If we went around the circle and said one thing," began Lupin.

"Werewolf and that speaks for itself." Added Lupin, keeping a mildly cheerful smile on his face. He then proceeded to stare gawk eyed as Minta didn't flinch inwardly or scream madly at his 'coming out'. She simply nodded once and went to back to her blank faced mask.

"Low-ranking job." Said Arthur looking much more dejected than Lupin had appeared.

"Strong, as the Irish say." Added Molly, looking just as gloomy.

"Poor." Added Ron, staring at his shoes. His Mother and Father shared a downtrodden glance then both turned to the last person at the table.

All eyes had before traveled around the table, watching the speaker silently. Now, every single set was on Draco, waiting impatiently for an answer. He knew exactly what they were all thinking, _He's never had a hard time for anything, he's nearly perfect._ He tried to smile lightly but it fell of halfway. He wouldn't allow himself to bite his lips and instead pulled his hands into even deeper fists than before; savoring the slight pain it gave him. It distracted him from how scared he was of the sudden spotlight.

"Imperfection." Ron scoffed out loud at this, staring at his sneakers again in an Indian style position.

"That's it? And Harry and I truly thought we were getting to you." He said it in a kidding tone but Draco shifted a little in his seat, uncomfortable at the idea of spilling the reason for his unorthodox answer.

"Sounds really completely inane and stupid doesn't it?" Minta smiled at him, the adults remained much more serious as he continued leaking things he normally would have the will and common sense to keep hidden.

"I didn't learn how to insult you like I did by practice, Ron. I had a lot of listening to do before I got nearly as excellent as I am today." He smiled again as Minta's face fell back into a momentary lapse of sympathy. All the adults shared shifty glances, now they were the ones shifting uncomfortably in their chairs. Everyone wanted him to elaborate but nobody wanted to be the one to ask, for fear of the kind of answer they might get. Draco took this as a sign that he didn't have to go into detail, but continued talking anyways.

"That sounded like I'm begging for pity and I'm not at all, that's just the one thing that's always been with me. It's…Oh Merlin; I'm speaking out loud before I'm even thinking the words." Everyone shared a nervous chuckle, happy to relieve the tension that had stifled them.

"Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it. Salvador Dali." Minta added quietly again, and Mr. Weasley finally rounded on her.

"Where _did_ you pick up on all these quotes and thoughts? You have one for every occasion." He said this in a calm tone but an edge of annoyance managed to creep in and this startled Minta a little bit, though she didn't show it.

_Oh no, we can't NOT fight about prejudices and what we've all been made fun of then pick on the new girl over nothing. If they're going to pick on anyone it's damn well going to be me. This is definitely going downhill, fast._

"I grew up with my aunt and she had a library full of books about...everything. I don't seem to forget anything and it just pops out. I didn't have other friends or family so I read all the time instead." She wasn't trying to get pity but that's exactly what it made Draco think about.

_I'm having a breakdown over leaving my parents behind and she's stone faced about the death of her entire family! You need to buck up Draco, this will never do. This is a war between two sides and if you keep throwing hissy fits over little things, you'll never last. Everyone around you is bound to die or get hurt; you're going to have to deal with that. But maybe she already had her breakdown, and that's why she'd so…gone now._

"That's terrible dear," muttered Mrs. Weasley soothingly, "I'm very sorry to hear that."

"It only ever gets worse, but that's against the point. I just remember trivial things Mr. Weasley; I'll try and stop speaking if it annoys you." The words spoken had a lot of edge to them, the kind that would cut you open and make you bleed with shame should they be aimed your way. But, somehow, she just said them. She wasn't being snotty or on the verge of tears, she just held them out there in the air. Plainly, no emotions involved. It was worrying Draco that you could have an entire conversation with a person and not learn anything _about _them.

He didn't know her mood, how she felt or what she really wanted. She just ordered water because she said it didn't matter to her one way or the other. She showed no emotion about loss, even that of her entire (so he supposed) family. There was something wrong here, he could tell.

_She's even more closed up than me. She doesn't put on a persona, she doesn't…have one? No, she has one I'm sure, she's not giving us anything to work with. She's blank. This will be more than a little interesting._

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Ron was deeply uncomfortable with the conversation they were having, it was only a setup for confrontation, if you asked him. He had avoided an outburst by staring desperately at his shoes and picking the rubber bits off the bottoms, but this pastime soon bored him.

_Time to take action before Draco reveals all the family secrets and Dad explodes at Minta. Take matters into your own hands Ron, you can do it._

"Listen, Minta," his Dad began and Ron cut him off quickly.

"Don't worry about it Dad, I have a more important question. What are we doing for Harry's situation? I mean, if none of us are here they can't send any information to 12 Grimmauld Place, can they?"

Ron looked his Dad straight in his eyes, because at first he was so incised by his son's rude behavior Ron was afraid he would implode beneath his red and yellow wool jumper. Now, his mind was on other things and he stroked his chin thoughtfully.

"Some of us will be off after the coffees, and oh here they are." The waitress was no where to be seen but a floating wooden tray of drinks had floated over to them and went in a circle around the group, giving everyone time to grab their drink before moving on back into the kitchens.

"As I was saying," he started again after a long sip of his black coffee, "most of us will go back to the Place and tell them what's happening and someone can stay behind."

"I will." Ron and Draco spoke in unison, and Mrs. Weasley's eyebrow's shot into dangerous territory.

"Oh, no, not the both of you. Draco, you still need to get a room and unpack so you'll be coming with me. You could room with… no wait, that's already full, and the … no, that's a closet now… the easiest thing would be for you to room with Minta, I'm afraid to say. If that's ok with the two of you?"

Ron watched Draco intently under his long red fringe which had grown out of control over the past school hear and was too lazy to cut, gauging his reaction to his Mother's obvious attempt to keep them apart. His first reaction was obvious anger, but it was near instantly wiped away and a look of understanding took over instead.

_I wish I could do that! I'd be whining intolerably, stating my case until I was blue in the face and then still get sent home! He's amazing at this… thing of no emotion._

Ron tried to subdue a smirk growing on his face from being the one allowed to stay with Harry. He failed miserably and didn't even care.

"Fine, that's fine. And I'll room wherever you're willing to put me really." Draco's answer wasn't whiny or pissed off he just said it in the same tone Minta was fast becoming famous for.

"Alright, we'll best be off then." Mrs. Weasley stated, everyone finishing the last dregs of their coffees and teas and bundling they're various robes and coats together.

"I'll be back in the morning to give you some new clothes and the such, ok Ronnie?" his Mother still treated him as though he was 6 years old and it embarrassed him to no end.

"Yes sure, I'll come down to his floor with you and say bye there." He glanced at Draco, worried inside about how he was holding up after his breakdown. He appeared composed but his eyes were still puffy and red from crying and Ron's eyes nearly bugged out when he saw a thin trail of blood running in tiny trickles down his fingertips.

"Uh, can I have a quick word with Draco please, privately?" Now it was his parents turn to bug their eyes out, and Draco turned dazedly around as though maybe he had just heard wrong. "Please?"

"Yes…sure just don't take too…long." His mother replied with an expression of utter confusion, complemented perfectly by her husbands.

"We'll be waiting in the lobby Draco." And they were gone within seconds, leaving a bleeding and bewildered Draco, a very scared Ron and a little old waitress singing brightly in the background.

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"What the hell was that Ron? Now your parents think we're gay or something." Draco rounded on him as soon as they were gone, hoping to catch him off guard. His fists were back to being clenched in anger, though he wasn't really all that pissed off.

"No they don't, they don't know what to think. I'll just ask once, what did you do in the bathroom before I got there?"

Ron's face was completely stony, serious to the last. Draco was shocked; this was the last thing he was expecting. Ron was always scowling at him from the corners of hallways, or laughing it up with his friends across a room. Never, in all the time Draco had seen him had he been this serious with him, this solemn.

"What did _I_ do?" he whispered, trying to remember doing something that Ron obviously knew and he didn't.

He lost the fight to keep his face impartial, weighing the pro's and cons of telling Ron exactly what had been going on when he had arrived. He decided for the second time that day to do the right thing, the harder thing.

"Well I spent a good few minutes waiting for the water to cool down enough, then had a rousing conversation with myself and screamed at my Father for interrupting it. Then I spoke to myself some more, made a little pact that you _wouldn't_ learn about and broke down into tears. Happy?" Draco spat the words at Ron, his false anger covering for his real embarrassment. Ron remained deep in a frown, not answering for a long while, and when he did he weighed each word as though they were intensely important.

"Is that all Draco? Really, completely all?" he asked again, and this time Draco let it bother him.

"Yes that's bloody all! I've not a clue what the hell you're trying to get at with this." He flung the words at Ron and he just sighed with exasperation.

"Did you cut yourself at all? Truly, no lies."

Draco stood with his mouth open, gaping at the question. No he hadn't remembered cutting himself at all , right? He would remember that wouldn't he?

_In the bathroom, there were no razors, I haven't got one with me and there wasn't a knife… I haven'tcut in solong,I'd remember something like that. And how would Ron know before I remembered? This is ludicrous, he has no idea what he's talking about._

Draco finally closed his mouth, amazed he hadn't noticed he had been gaping like a fish for so long. He stared Ron directly in his eyes while furiously pulling up his sleeves and sticking his hands palm up towards him.

"No, I didn't cut myself at all, period! Got that Weasley, I don't know what got you started with this but…" Ron was staring down at his open palms and Draco for the first time saw them.

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Ron actually gave a tiny laugh of relief at the sight of Draco's hands, but caught himself seconds later to see that Draco thought this to be much more serious. Ron had thought that Draco was a compulsive cutter and had been worried he had cut his forearms or his wrists in the bathroom. His nails had instead dug deeply into his palms, not only in the bathroom but while they had been talking at the table and blood had pored out into his balled up fists. His hands were completely covered in it, the little half moons a deep crimson and the rest smeared with it.

"Get rid of it please…" Draco's face was a shade below pale, a white so ghastly that Ron thought him about to fall over in a faint. His grey eyes were wide and his voice barely a whisper, a plea. Ron took a moment to remember just how much Draco hated blood and scrambled to grab his wand.

"Scourgify." He said swiftly and all the blood was magically wiped off his hands. The marks left by his fingernails were left however, and they weren't giving up yet.

"How did you not notice, all this time?" asked Ron softly, holding the backs of Draco's hands in his own to see how deep the cuts were. He looked up to check how he was, and his wide grey eyes were still staring at his palms as though the blood were still there. He met them, talking soothingly, "Look off at a portrait Draco, staring'll do you no good." Draco nodded once with his jaw shut tight and proceeded to stare off into a picture of a dazzlingly white cloud over picturesque green meadows. It reminded him of home.

"Now, how'd you possibly not notice this?" He asked again, raising his voice to make sure Draco was listening to him.

"I had the other stuff on my mind and it only hurt a little. I did it to hurt, when you were all watching me. Something to concentrate on, I suppose. I guess I didn't stop early enough." His voice was weak and a little shaky, something that scared Ron more than anything. It wasn't the voice of someone who was ok, who was in control.

"Now listen to me, everyone's waiting for you downstairs, but I'll stop the bleeding for you so you can go. Ummm, I learned this, I swear… oh yes, _**Conquiesco crudus**_. That's a spell so they don't bleed anymore, ok? Tell my Mum though, she'll keep it quiet and get you something for pain and scarring, do you understand me?" Draco was still staring off into the portrait across the room, snapping to attention as Ron waved his hand across his face.

"Yeah, yeah, sure. Tell your Mum, will do." He nodded vigorously, about to ball his hands up again and walk away, Ron stopping him just in time.

"Ah,ah,ah. None of that." Ron had to grab his hands and talk to him as though he was 4 years old to get him to stop. "The bloods stopped, just don't rub them on anything or the scars'll open up again, and neither of us want that now do we?" Draco shook his head vigorously, clenching his jaw tightly and closing his eyes as though physically pushing out the image. "I'll go down with you to Harry's floor in the elevator."

Draco just nodded some more, allowing Ron to push him towards the elevators and barely managing to say goodbye when Ron stopped on Harry's floor.

"I'll, I'll see you soon at the Place, right?" he stammered over the words, his eyes staring everywhere but Ron's face.

"Yeah, tell them I'll be back tomorrow with an update, alright? Are you going to be fine Draco, seriously?" Draco still wouldn't meet his eyes, but nodded again as the doors slid shut.

"Yes. I'm fine, completely fine."

_Poor guy, _he thought, sinking into the crimson couch they had shared only a while ago. _He's got some skeletons in his closet I don't even want to know about. Never thought I'd see the day where I pitied Draco Malfoy, but this one just might be it._

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A/N: To any new readers, I realize that a number of you do not like AU characters or Minta in specific and I feel no harm in telling you that she is temporary in this story.

Please review

mintapotter


	10. Goodnight, Sleep Tight

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

WARNING: SLASH and references to self harm. Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

**A/N:** This week's song excerpt is Helena by My Chemical Romance.

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**Chapter 10 – Goodnight, Sleep Tight**

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_And if you carry on this way  
Things are better if I stay  
So long and goodnight  
So long and goodnight_

_- My Chemical Romance_

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"What happened?"

"How's Harry?"

"Where is Ron?"

"Why'd it take so long?"

"What went wrong?"

"Harry's not ok?"

"He's not doing well?"

The moment Lupin, Mr. & Mrs. Weasley and Draco stepped out of the fireplace they were bombarded with questions from all sides, and each momentary silence was taken for something having gone wrong.

_Can't they all wait? It's not like Harry's dead or anything, well he was sort of breathing when we left… I must tell Mrs. Weasley about my hands, Ron told me to and I said I would, it's important for some reason…_

Draco tried hard to think of why it was so essential, but couldn't remember the reason. Then his memory snapped to a vivid picture of his hands smeared with his own blood and his stomach lurched in revolt. He clenched his jaw tight, fighting back the urge to throw up then and there.

"Listen! Please, all of you, just give me a moment" Mrs. Weasley tried in vain to speak through the crowd but her patience was already worn thin and she soon lost it. "WILL YOU ALL BE QUIET FOR A MOMENT AND LISTEN?"

Everyone was instantly silent, leaning in towards her and her troupe to hear what she had to say.

_Do not…throw up… do not…throw up…_

She sighed, knowing this wasn't going to be easy, "Harry quite obviously isn't doing well and is staying at St. Mungo's until he's healed. Last we saw him," she said giving Draco a sideways glance but he was dazedly staring at a wall, "he wasn't doing well at all so he'll be there for a long amount of time, in my books. Ron is staying there to be a relation between here and there for us about him, so any news we get is going to be through him. Alright?"

_Do not…_

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As soon as the words left Mrs. Weasley's mouth, Draco was running for the door, pushing though everyone around him without any warning. Each one turned to watch him with fascination, Fred hollering, "Where's the fire?" but he was already gone.

Charlie's wife Hazel turned to Mrs. Weasley mirroring her puzzled look. "Should I go after him? Is he alright?"

"Ummm, maybe Minta can check on him, I wanted to talk to you about Heather. Minta is that…?" She turned in the nick of time to see Minta sweep out of the room, having left before she even asked. "Well that's settled, I'll check on them later. Now about Heather…" Charlie smirked at Hazel, feeling a little sorry for her having to put up with all his mothers 'wisdoms' about child care and walked away towards his younger twin brothers

Everyone began to mumble to each other, somber and deep in thought about how bad it could be for Harry to have to stay at St. Mungo's for long periods of time. Then the rumble began about how odd Draco looked, very off and uncontrolled, not his usual self at all.

"Do you see his face? White as a sheet he is, well more than normal? And he looks all sweaty and…well off." whispered Fred to his brother Charlie who was at the moment cradling a near sleeping Heather in his arms.

"I know; he must've seen something pretty terrible to not even try and hide it. Wonder how Harry truly is, don't you?" he responded, sharing a deep look with his younger brother.

George had joined in on they're little circle along with Bill in the corner of the kitchens and added his two cents.

"Well, must be pretty terrible if Malfoy can't stay composed, and that's never a good sign when it comes to Harry. He's taken a couple of really good beatings and been ok, this must be pretty dreadful."

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Draco sat up, his entire being exhausted beyond compare. He had to force himself to move once more, and rolled over and retched again, not believing there was anything in him to even throw up. The smell got to him immediately, his nostrils flaring at the acidity of it, his mouth full of the acrid taste.

"Draco?" Minta whisked into the darkened empty room moments later having followed him closely the entire way. "**_Scourgify_**. Are you alright?"

_She's really pretty, so pretty, too pretty to be here, with me. I'm disgusting, retching, pitiful…Why can't I just like her? Why can't I fall in love with her? Why in the flying fuck did I have to kiss Potter? HARRY, his name is Harry! Why can't I just be normal, love girls and...?Not be like me?_

Draco let his thoughts wander away, and was glad the smell was gone; it was replaced instead by her delicate scent at his side. She smelled nice and light, like lilacs in summer during full bloom.

"I'd normally be sarcastic and say yes, but I'm opting for truthfulness so no." his voice was weak even to himself; she smiled her sweet smile at him, pressing a warm hand to his forehead and holding his hand with her other.

"Your really cold for some reason, I'd like to think you'd have a fever, and you're awfully clammy. Have you been feeling unwell, or is this sudden?"

"It's…it's from…" he held his hands palm up for her to see in the moonlight of the room, scared to say the words lest they transport him back to that particular memory.

"This is from your fingernails? And someone's stopped the bleeding, I suppose." She said quickly after examining them for a moment in the pale moonlight of the room.

"Yes. It's from earlier today, I didn't know I was doing it until…" he trailed off and shut his eyes tight, willing the memories to go away, banishing them to the back of his mind. Along with It.

"**_Dirimo adflictaio_**, oh and what's the other one? Oh yeah, **_curatio incido_**." She murmured the words at his hands while holding them, not even using a wand. The pain ebbed away along with the scabs until they were nearly invisible. "The pain spell isn't permanent; I'll need to do it again in a few hours time because even though the outside's healed the inside isn't. Now, have you eaten today?"

Draco was in a land of bliss, her warm feel, soft scent, and healing touch putting him at ease around her. "No, not since this morning. I had toast and black coffee and an apple."

_That's a damn good day in my books. I'll gain 10 pounds here at the rate Mrs. Weasley most likely cooks. Why does that matter at all, I only end up having one square meal a day anyways?_

"Not nearly good enough I'm afraid I'll have to sneak you some food upstairs, where you will be resting quietly in bed."

_EXCUSE ME? Since when did I die and you became the ruler of my world? I'm sick, not incapable of moving by myself!_

"No, I'll eat down here with everybody and go to bed later, when I feel like it." Draco was about to get up and try and walk away but her eyes caught him. They were a deep brown, darker even then melted chocolate, but these were special. They had a light yellow glint in the darkness, glowing gold and hypnotizing him. They instantly brought him back to memories of cat's eyes, glowing like coals in near complete darkness.

"Wow." She laughed a happy laugh full of cheerfulness, letting it subside to a small smile.

"My eyes? They do that, it's better if it doesn't frighten you or it gets really creepy. Now you are going to bed. You are coming," she grabbed his hand and helped him to his feet which he soon realized weren't all that stable, "with me. Alright with this plan, Prince Draco-I-Can-Take-Care-Of-Myself?"

Draco snorted a little, happy to have a companion with some sense of humor. _Well, it's not so dreadful to have service in bed, now is it? And at dinner I have neither Harry nor Weasl-Ron to have my back. Maybe this whole idea isn't so bad…_

He shrugged. "Lead the way."

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"Mr. Potter? Are you awake? Please sit up for a moment, you need your potions."

_What the fuck… where am I? What…_

"…Is this place?" Harry's eyes stung bitterly against bright white lights, his body felt as though it was filled with lead and pinned to the tiny bed he was in. Everything around him burned a bright white; patches of blurry color dotted the unfamiliar walls around him. He was held in by tightly tucked in sheets, starched but very worn and soft. He slowly sat straighter, all the sensations around him not adding up to anything at all.

"Pardon me? Where is this place? You are in St. Mungo's at the moment sir, I am Healer Oris, and I've been with you since you arrived on this floor. Are you experiencing any specific pain, or trouble breathing?" Harry squinted, still without the help of his glasses at the blurry form of the Healer who was talking as she laid bottles and cups of brightly colored potions on a tray beside him.

"No, everything hurts in general…I can't breathe very deep…"He sighed and laid back down, closing his eyes and trying desperately to cling to memories floating about his head.

_I was at the Place, talking with them and I couldn't breathe… Did they take me here? Draco? Yes, Draco did, and Ron as well but after that? I don't remember, I just cant until I was in an elevator, I remember the elevator. Then what? What has happened? What's happening to me?_

Harry was quickly coming to his senses; he couldn't take deep breaths because his entire chest was wrapped in tight white bandages. His ankle was wrapped as well and somewhere along the way he had been changed into light blue pajama's as well. The room he was in was too bright to look at, he kept his eyes closed tight, trying to ward off an oncoming headache.

"Where…where is everyone? I was with people, are they here? Can I talk to Ron? To Draco?" Harry's throat was very sore and his voice was very hoarse but he couldn't remember why. A vivid memory of coughing in the elevator and seeing Ron and Draco there jolted in front of Harry's closed lids, the sudden need to see and talk with his friend was overwhelming.

"Here, just sit up a moment and I'll give you the sleeping draft, you need to rest and not worry. Your friends are all gone except for the red haired one, and you might be allowed to talk with him tomorrow if you're feeling better and are cooperative. Now drink." Harry had stubbornly closed his mouth against the potion as soon as the nurse had said 'might be allowed' but drank it anyways, not wanting to ruin his chances completely against seeing Ron tomorrow.

_Maybe Ron and I will talk, maybe I can tell him everything and then…Then he'll know, he can help. Ron always wants to help, yes, I must tell Ron as soon as possible. And then?... Mmmm, maybe Draco as well? Did the kiss mean anything at all, will he come to see me like this, will he even stay? I hope he does, I need him just as badly…_

Harry was soon enveloped in a deep sleep, thoughts of coming out about his Uncle to Ron and another chaste kiss with Draco fading into quickly into the darkness of his dreams.

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"Draco? It's a bit of a maze up there. Just come here." Minta could sense that Draco was disoriented and out of place, so she firmly grasped his hand behind her and led him up various stairs and through a few doorways towards their shared bedroom. The hallways were now storage places for nearly everything, from cauldrons and Weasley's Wizarding Wheezes Wands to Ginny's extra clothing, but Minta had memorized how to arrive at her room and could tell him where trick steps and false boards lay along the way.

They soon arrived together to their new shared room on the highest floor, and second furthest back. It was a small rectangular space, originally a huge walk in closet converted for their use. One large false window had been charmed into the back wall by Kingsley and it showed the real conditions in the outside park to them. The night sky was already a sheer black, clouds blotting out all the stars and only allowing tiny amounts of moonlight into the city. One single bed with clinically folded blankets and sheets lay in the one corner on the dark floorboards, accompanied by a closed trunk lay that lay tucked neatly up against it. There was no other furniture or decoration in the room except a black throw blanket on the end of the bed and a moth eaten black curtain on the window.

"**_Lectulus_**." A quick swish of her wand and a second single bed materialized in the other side of the room, identical to the other except for a green blanket rather than black.

"Your trunk's here already," she said gesturing to it, "So you get changed while I'm gone and I'll fix us up some plates for dinner. I'll be back in a little while, so get comfy." Then she left him alone, closing the creaking door behind her and walking away without a sound.

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"Creepy as fuck, that girl is." Draco muttered to himself as he tiredly began to tug off his robes and t-shirt. "Not to mention unnaturally good looking and extremely nice, but creepy. The whole eye thing, the silently walking around… odd. Oh my God, I'm speaking to myself. My cool points are at a negative 100."

Draco laughed to himself at how quickly all his natural inhibitions were fading. He had changed quickly into his pajama's, black silk trouser bottoms and a soft black cotton t-shirt for the night. He waited for nearly 5 minutes before becoming bored with the grimy surroundings and decided to search their floor a little, find out his surroundings.

They were on the topmost floor and were alone exempt for one more room. It was the master bedroom to which their closet would have housed hundreds of expensive outfits. Draco tiptoed in, hearing loud breathing from his position outside the door. It contained not an entirely unknown beast, but the very Hippogriff that Draco had nearly had beheaded years before and wasn't fit for any human habitation. Leaving the sleeping beast alone, Draco continued into the master bathroom from the hallway, adjoined to it by one small door. It was not very large, containing a simple sink and cabinet, toilet, shower and separate bath all made of fine grey marble. The room felt stale and the stone floors froze Draco's already cold feet, and he quickly left it behind, remembering everything's placement for future use. He then let the cold get to him and lay under the covers of his new bed, taking in his new bedroom.

_I have never shared a bedroom, a bathroom, a floor for God's sake with anyone in my life! How will this work, living with other people I don't know, sleeping in a room with someone I don't understand… I want. To go. Home._

Draco's stomach lurched again, this time not in violent action but intense sorrow. He was homesick, he wanted his mother, he wanted his own bed, and room, and floor, and bathroom, and he wanted something of his own so badly! Nothing here was really his, not the food he ate, and soon enough, not the money he was going to spend. What was happening all around him wasn't controlled by him, he didn't even have a decent house-elf to control… a house elf?

"Kreacher came to take care of young sir and lady, the two next best of kin of the household, sir. And the only respected pure bloods of the house, according to the old mistress sir, bless her soul, mistress having blood traitors running amok in her house…"

A filthy old house elf had apparently crept into the room after Draco and stood at the doorway, obviously unaware Draco was still watching him. He mumbled obscenities Draco hadn't even heard about the 'blood traitors' which Draco took to be the Weasley's, and the 'Mudblood' which was obviously Hermione Granger.

"Hullo?" Draco spoke quietly, and the elf turned his head and bulging eyes towards Draco again, smiling disgustingly at him as though he was an old friend.

"What is it young master wishes of Kreacher, I is at your command. I is the only remaining house elf here at 12 Grimmauld Place and is at your beck and call."

Draco didn't even have to think twice about bossing around a house-elf. Being back in a familiar situation was something he needed desperately right now.

"This room is intolerably cold, build a fire for me on the opposite wall." The house elf was immediately at the other side of the room, snapping his fingers and muttering household spells until a roaring blue fire was in the hearth.

"Tis a smokeless fire young sir, Kreacher couldn't make a chimney…" The elf looked about ready for a beating, a reason Draco always took pity on them.

"No, its fine, it's perfect in fact. Thank you Kreacher, it's exactly what I wanted." The elf looked ready to explode with happiness, his yellowed smile taking up a good half of his face.

_This is how you gain the trust of a house-elf, not through beating but basic flattery. Tell them 'Good job' once in a while and they keep your darkest secrets and reveal any they know about others for life. Why my family never understood this, I'll never know…_

He sighed, bored with his surroundings and nostalgic about his family so he changed the subject. "What's this mistress you're talking about, why are Minta and myself so great in her books?"

"Well, she was most wonderful mistress, died and is left in a portrait down stairs you see, rest her soul. And she says you are the Prince of Slytherin and she knows your family well, good family you are from sir, Malfoy's a good family… and the girl is from old royalty, very good family if there ever was another sir, very high esteemed with the mistress…" the house elf rambled incoherently after that, on and on about his wonderful mistress and how he was honored to work for her and blah-blabity-fuckity-blah.

_Wait, I'm the 'unofficial' Prince of Slytherin, I understand that. But she's from old royalty? What the fuck is going on in this house?_

"And why are we considered royalty, again, for my benefit?" The house elf had slowly inched closer to Draco's bed, now standing by his side and speaking in a low tone of reverence

"Oh, Mistress Minta Malise, the highest of all the families, the royalty of the wizarding world…" The name 'Malise' triggered a memory on Draco's past; he opened his mouth in awe.

"The Malise's? My Father spoke about them; they were a family like ours…" Draco drifted into a deep thought, remembering all the conversations where the name was brought up. "Meaning they somehow were more rich and powerful and _really_ royal than we were. But they weren't on our side, most of them at least."

"Yes, yes, mosts of thems were converted long ago by the weak doddering fools like Dumbledore and the like, but some remained faithful to," the house elf lowered his voice to a whisper, "the dark lord."

Draco nodded, deep in thought to have this much more insight into his new roommate's background. Then another memory snapped to attention.

"But wait, they all died, didn't they? We went to the funeral of somebody when I was only2 or 3I think, but the entire family was buried a little ways away. I remember…"

"Yes sir, there was a massacre, out shadowed only by _–the dark lords-_ demise by Harry Potter." The elf still whispered Voldemort's title under his breath, obviously in complete reverence. Draco should have wanted to continue his interrogation but at that moment Minta came silently into the room, the normally creaking door not making a sound as she opened and closed it. She didn't look at the overladen tray she carried or the elf but smiled at Draco and spoke to the elf.

"Hullo Kreacher. We'll be fine without you for the night, thank you for the fire." She then gave the elf a tiny smile and continued to walk past him. He looked about to explode in happiness at a job well done, exclaimed "Call at any time for anything, miss and sir" and was gone with a click of his fingers.

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"I've been warned about than elf, he treats everyone here like dirt, not the other way around. Only he has to hide around now, everyone else hates him..." She laid the tray down on Draco's bed, the food quickly filling the room with rich aromas. "George told me to lock the door at night, lest he come in for an 'unexpected visit'."

_I know they were talking about me, that elf knows all our secrets and can't help but give them away. Aw well, I must come out about all my abnormalities sooner or later…_

Minta continued giving a warm smile, hiding the dark thoughts in her head.

_If the elf told him everythingDraco'd be in a corner brandishing his wand at me by this point in time. I guess they never got to the good part._

She let the evil thoughts disappear, concentrating on the foods to be consumed.Each aroma was distinct in her nose, the scents of basil, rosemary, cinnamon and brown sugar coming off of various dishes each was easily detected by her. Draco looked repulsed at the amount of food she had brought up but she laughed heartily at his disgusted face.

"Don't screw up your face like that; it makes you resemble an angry ferret." Draco's sour face turned astonished and incised at the same time but Minta couldn't tell what from.

"What? Did I say something? I was joking you know."

Draco continued to stare open mouthed and goggle eyed so she continued as though she had his complete attention. "You needn't eat it all, but you must try for something. You'll faint or worse if you've no food in you at all, so eat up." She carefully began to pile food onto her warmed porcelain plate, overfilling hers so he wouldn't feel like a pig. He picked a few green beans, some carrots and corn with butter, and a slice of roast beef to start. She stared at him making obvious her distaste at how little he was choosing.

"Listen, you could eat the entire tray and still like too small for my liking, so eat up. I am," she gestured to her plate where some items overlapped to free up space, "and you should be making an effort." Draco laughed a little, sitting cross-legged at the head board of his bed with her doing the same at the foot end, not showing any want to eat more.

"You weigh about two pounds when fully clothed _and_ you eat like a mammoth. This is good, by the way." Minta showed no signs of anger and nodded because of her very full mouth so he continued. "I on the other hand have very little to eat and still can't go any faster on a broomstick, so I'll be sticking with this."

She frowned deeply at this, her mouth full to burst (_an amazing impression of Ron_ thought Draco) and contemplated what next to say.

_I'm amazed! I'd think he was malnourished, and he's giving me a speech on my being skinny and his needing to lose weight! I'll pray that flying really is the reason for all this because a new broomstick should fix it in a heartbeat. But something tells me this goes a lot deeper than even Quidditch. _

"You have nothing left to lose and if you can't go any faster on your broom it's because of the broom not you, and obviously not your skill." She shrugged it off however, continuing her mashed garlic potatoes and smoked ham, oblivious to him again.

He moved the food around for a while before he took a few small bites in silence, chewing little by little before swallowing. He eventually put down his fork after eating another tiny bit to talk some more.

"How would you know how I was on a broomstick? You're not from Hogwart's that's for sure, so what school do you go to?" Draco pushed his plate away and onto the tray, obviously not about to eat anymore tonight.

"Want any pumpkin juice? Or Butterbeer, Mrs. Weasley sent it up just for you." She picked up a cool bottle to show him, but the condensation caused it to slip from her grasp and Draco caught it deftly inches away from the tray.

He was smirking at her; uncapping it and making the cap disappear into his hand with flair and taking a hearty swig. "_You_, my lady, are dodging my question, which simply isn't allowed. Fess up." He continued to smirk, obviously pleased to have found some dirt on his roommate.

Minta tried to appear deep in thought, chewing deliberately slowly while thinking of an answer.

"Well, you have very slender hands as you are also, and your reflexes are good. I mean, I could have grabbed the bottle but you did it moderately fast so you must have some skill. Pair that with talking about Quidditch and brooms and I can only imagine you being a Seeker, for Slytherin no less." Draco beamed at this, obviously not very good at taking compliments modestly. At least not now, late at night on one of the most stressful days of his life. She continued, trying and succeeding not to show the inner turmoil at answering his second question.

"I take correspondence courses from Hogwarts because the Ministry thinks it wise to… keep me away from others, shall we put it lightly." She scowled at the thought of the Ministry, and pushed her nearly empty plate away. "That's all you're learning for now my friend, and the next tidbit you receive will be when you next eat." She flicked her wand with ease and the tray disappeared from the bedspread, leaving a warm spot for Draco to stretch his legs out under.

"And I'm too tired to talk anymore anyways, I'll get changed and be right back, ok?" She had grabbed a pair of dark grey boxers and a matching t-shirt from her trunk, her apparel for bed. She asked the question out of concern; even Draco knew he had looked a bit peaky not minutes ago, but now he was simply dead tired.

_He only ate a few bites of each, he didn't even touch the meat… I shouldn't get too stressed because this has been one of the worst days of his life and it's normal to not have an appetite but, this is different. Something is wrong here, definitely wrong._

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"Yeah sure, you don't need my permission you know." Draco turned away from her in his bed, pulling the dark green spread up to his cheek and pretending it to be his down comforter from home.

_This is not your bed from home Draco; this is not your room. Don't try and pretend because you'll only wake up petrified at where you are. Even Harry isn't here to take care of you…Face it, your never going back to Malfoy Manor, your family or your old friends. Ever_

Draco's throat was constricted as he answered her, but Minta smiled and left silently again, so silently that a full minute later Draco would turn around and be amazed that she had even left. Tears flooded his eyes; he didn't even have energy left in him to hold them back. He then fell into a light sleep, his stomach twisting uncomfortably and his conscious full of sad thoughts.

Harry, alone in St. Mungo's.

Mother, screaming and pleading at him not to go.

Ron, crying in the hallway.

He turned to stare at the ceiling, the tears soon flowing down the sides of his face and he was careful to wipe them away before she returned. Minta arrived back in the room to him lying flat on his back, eyes closed but fluttering, and a sure signal to being awake.

"Goodnight Draco. Sleep tight." She whispered, using her wand to lower the blue flames to nothing more than embers before crawling into her own bed, facing his shady form in the dark.

"Goodnight." He sighed deeply, turned over to face the dingy grey wall and thought about his day, his future, his problems…

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Please review!

mintapotter


	11. Easier Said Then Done

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

WARNING: SLASH and references to self harm. Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

**A/N:** This week's song excerpt is 'Lonely Day' by Phantom Planet.

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**Chapter 11 – Easier Said Than Done**

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_Everybody knows that something's wrong  
But nobody knows what's going on  
We all sing the same old song  
When you want it all to go away  
It's shaping up to be a lonely day_

_- Phantom Planet_

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_Oh, good lord. How long have I lain here? 10 minutes? 20? How could I eat that crap, I can't believe it did that…_

Draco lay asleep in his bed still only 20 minutes after saying goodnight to Minta, the small amount of food in his stomach churning uncomfortably. He turned carefully from side to side, trying to force himself to stay in bed and get to sleep, but this was a feeling soon overcome by the need to get rid of all the food in his body. Now.

"Draco? What are you doing?" Minta was sleeping on her stomach facing his bed, her form nearly black to him except for her eyes. They caught him off guard in the dark, chilling his blood through and through. They looked evil, that was the only way to put it, and even though her question wasn't threatening Draco was compelled to lie lest she become angry.

"I…I have to brush my teeth. Force of habit you know; can't do without." He promptly left the room, closing the door behind him as soon as her voice was heard behind him again.

"But you don't have your tooth-" he shut the door quickly, pretending not to hear her voice at all and continuing onto the bathroom. He groped the wall in the dark, stubbing his toe and cursing quietly in his haste to get there and being none too stealthy.

_Good lord Draco, have you no sneakiness left at all? How many times have you snuck around at home, Hogwarts, Slytherin dungeons without being caught? You can't even make it five feet before toppling something over…_

He opened the bathroom door and closed it behind him, enveloping himself in silence. The entire room was pitch black, but he had already memorized its contents from his search of the floor earlier. He snapped his fingers for the candle filled sconces to light, most did but a few sputtered out near instantly as no wick was left in them. The door swung shut behind him and he walked quickly towards the toilet, the food in his stomach churning worse then ever.

_I've got to stop this; I know I do but… I can't, I just can't, not now…_

His eyes were screwed up against tears, but the thought of all the fattening food inside of him made the decision that much easier. His fingers forced there way down his throat, barely needed at this point and causing him to retch for the 3rd time that day.

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"Draco? Draco what the fuck…" Minta walked into the bathroom after knocking softly, the sound of Draco retching scared her terribly about how ill he truly was. However, instead of seeing him clutching the sides of the toilet as he should have his fingers were pushed down his throat, making himself throw up.

"Draco, what is this? What are you doing? How? Why..."

_Oh Merlin no, don't let any of this be real, how could this happen? Why? Why him, why this?_

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"Draco? Draco what the fuck…" As soon as Minta's voice floated over his head Draco went stiff, thinking frantically about an excuse, any excuse to make this seem normal. Before he could respond she spoke again,

"Draco, what is this? What are you doing? How? Why..."

_Why me? Why the FUCK did she _have_ to walk in, why must she know everything? Why?_

"I can explain I really can…" He stood up in the flickering light of the room, the cold tile floor beneath his feet chilling him from head to toe. His mouth tasted disgustingly of bile, his entire body shivering as he was covered in a thin cold sweat.

"No, I don't believe you can't. Why the hell are you doing this to yourself Draco, and don't bullshit me about Quidditch and flying, we both know it's a lie." Her voice was cold now, not comforting or understanding like before. Her voice scared him, another chill ran down his spine and he involuntarily shuddered. He screwed his entire face up against the tears still forming.

"I just do… I'm not good enough for anything, not the best in anything… All I have is looks, without them I'm nothing; it's the only thing anyone wants from me…" Tears slipped past his fingers, dropping onto shirt and splashing on the dusty floor below.

_STOP CRYING! Malfoys do. Not. CRY! You are a disgrace! You are a joke! You are…_

"Go away, go away…"

_No, oh no Draco. Just because you leave me and your Mother back home doesn't mean that I leave. You are disgusting; you have to sink this low just to look like you do? You are a disgrace to the family…_

Draco's Fathers voice penetrated his thoughts, berating him inside until Minta's voice overtook his.

"Oh Draco, you know that's a lie, I don't even know you and-" Minta was coming towards him now; Draco could tell she wanted to hold him and make it all better.

_Well you can't make this go away; you can't just fix me like that! I'm not a broken toy, and yes,you don't know me!You don't know the half of it!You have no idea, how can you think you can help me?_

"Just fuck off and let me be, it's none of your business anyways. Just like you said, you don't me at all. I'm going to bed." Draco stalked out beside Minta, his words cold and demeaning, exactly as they should be.

He closed the bedroom door behind him a little harder than needed, slipped into his bed and turned towards the wall immediately. The last thing he needed was to have to deal with the people in this house about his…problem.

_What were you thinking Draco, becoming friends with these people? Ron even? They know nothing about you, nothing about what you've been through, they'll never understand. This is you're problem, you deal with it. Have some control, for Merlins sake._

Nearly half an hour later Draco turned over to peak and see the door, waiting for Minta to return. He was scared out of his wits as her yellow orbs hung in the opposite bed, not watching him but the ceiling.

"You don't have to deal with all your problems alone you know. Everyone here is willing to help. I am." Her voice was soft and low, she turned away from him after saying this, ending the conversation on a comforting note.

"No thank you, I never need help. I'm fixing it all by myself, so thanks but no thanks." Draco couldn't let the night end happily, that was too easy a victory for the girl he had decided to hate. Minutes later they both fell into deeply troubled sleeps, both worried about the actions of the other.

_Will she tell them? Dumbledore?_

_Will he stop on his own? Can anything be done?_

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"Ron? Ron wake up dear, I have some clothes for you."

_What the hell, it can't possibly be morning yet, I must've only slept for an hour at most…_

"Mum? What time is it? I don't even remember falling asleep…" Ron rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands, cracking his neck twice to try and rid himself of the uncomfortable kinks it had developed.

"Well it's nearly 8, I know, I know, still early to you but the Healers on this floor give out breakfast at 8:30 so you might be able to slip in and see Harry. I brought you some clean clothes and pj's, toothbrush, the usual. Have you heard anything yet?" He still squinted at the light in the hallway, his eyes stinging from so little sleep.

"About Harry? No I," he trailed off for a moment to take a long yawn and continued, "was awake until at least 2 but they didn't come out with anything so I guess I just drifted off a while ago. Thanks for the stuff Mum; I'll come back to the Place later for lunch or supper unless something big happens. Tell everyone I'm fine, ok?"

"Of course, and please don't worry too much? It's not healthy and Harry's probably going to be fine. I'm going back to start our breakfast, and we'll all be expecting you for supper at the very least. Love you." She kissed the crown of his head lightly and smiled.

"Bye Mum. Love you too." He smiled back holding up the pile of clothes. "Thank you for these, see you later." With one last smile over her shoulder the elevator doors shut around her, leaving Ron alone yet again in the hallway.

_Well what to do with myself for half and hour? I probably look like shit but there are no showers in the bathroom so... Maybe just wash up, a quick change and then I can wait for the breakfast trolley. _

The thought of food seemed to trigger his stomach back into action, it grumbled loudly as he walked back towards the bathrooms causing him to grimace.

"I better get loads of free food or I might starve to death in that hallway…" as soon as he walked into the bathroom the memories of Malfoy in it the night before flooded his brain. The tap wasn't running any more but he could vividly remember their last encounter.

"Wonder how he's holding up, I should've asked Mum…" he mumbled to himself, pulling his t-shirt and trousers off in a stall to change into a new pair. He was still too tired to think about this further, instead laughing at his reflection in the mirror after exiting the stall. One side of his hair was flat and plastered to his face, the other sticking straight up in all directions. He continued to smile after he washed his face, brushed his teeth and tried (unsuccessfully) to tame his hair with his hands. Eventually giving up out of frustration he simply tousled it up with water and left.

_If anyone asks I'm going for the 'just-rolled-out-of-bed' look, this is actually a style. Not that anyone's around to care really…_

In all reality however there was. The morning Healer was at that exact moment entering Harry's room with an overfilled breakfast trolley full of food.

"Hey! Hey, please wait up!" He ran down the hallway towards her, she stopping momentarily in the doorway for him.

"I've been waiting all night to here about Harry, he's my best friend and…"

"I'm sorry, he can't have any guests at the moment unless they go through his guardian and…" she was smiled apologetically at him but this only pissed Ron off further.

"Listen, I have waited all night for some form of news out here, in the freaking hallway no less. I've had nothing to eat and nearly no sleep; can't you please bend the rules and just let me see him?"

_Come on, have some heart woman, I just need to see that he's ok, that's he still breathing and completely alright through my own eyes._

"I'm sorry sir; I simply can't let you…"

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"Let him in. Please. Please let him in." Harry's voice was still terribly croaky to himself, his throat was sore from the night before. He had been lying in bed for a few minutes now, listening to the conversation outside of his room and only now piping up.

"Well…" the Healer appeared to debate this a moment and then gave in. "Oh alright, but for 10 minutes tops, and that's it." A hand pushed the door fully open for her to pass through it, and the hand was connected to a hopelessly messy ginger haired man. Ron.

"Ron! You stayed all night?" Harry felt his eyes already sparkling, all the apprehension about telling his friend about what had happened before being washed away in the happiness of him just being there.

"Of course mate, could I possibly be left out of anything? How are you, you feeling better?" Ron was at his side right away, sitting in a low wooden chair beside him, waiting for Harry to sit up with difficulty in the bed.

"Yeah, well better than before. I slept nearly all night; they gave me a dreamless sleep draft and numerous other foul tasting things so I'm better than before. Still a few pains," Harry gestured to his wrapped chest, the entire thing covered in the white bandages from under his arms down to nearly his waist, "but I'm alive."

"Oh God Harry, you look like…" Ron trailed off, obviously trying not to piss Harry off by saying the wrong thing, but getting the point across none the less. "Have you even seen yourself mate?"

"No, why? Not that I can see anything really, my glasses broke and I haven't had them in a while…" Harry was really puzzled, Ron turned away in sadness, grabbing a little mirror on the side table and handing it to him, not meeting his eyes.

_Oh, that explains it._ His reflection was fuzzy, but even when a little blurry he could tell just how bad he looked. One side of his face was a dark purple and blue, the eye puffed up around it as well. He was paler than usual, he could tell, and looked a little too skinny to be healthy. His lip had split during the fight and was still very swollen, a nasty scar forming directly down the middle.

"Well it looks worse than it feels, I really am not… so bad. How's everyone else, at the Place?" Ron turned back towards him to take the mirror, shrugging at his question.

"Fine, just really worried about you mate. I mean, you gave us all quite a scare. Draco freaked out completely, it was pretty bad."

_I didn't even have to ask directly about Draco, thank the gods Ron brought it up or it would look suspicious. Does he really care about me? Does he care about anyone at all?_

"Oh really? Why's that?" Harry asked off-hand, like he was concerned but not begging to know. Secretly, every word about Draco from Ron weremoments for him to turn over in the hours when he was gone.

"I'm not quite sure actually, he got really frightened cause of the blood and then broke down in the loos… Can't blame him though, yesterday was quite a shitty day all summed up." Ron was fiddling with his fingers, a little uncomfortable with the topic of Draco and the memories accompanied by them.

"That's not the point though, before that even happened we were talking…"

"You're kidding me! Talking…civilly?" Harry didn't mean to scoff by couldn't help but to break Ron off mid-sentence.

Ron's blue eyes flashed with a quick anger, he flicked his long red hair out of his eyes and replied, "Yes." He was obviously affronted and Harry looked down with some form of asking for forgiveness. In his current situation though, Ron couldn't stay mad at Harry for very long.

He forged on, "Yes, and it came up that he knew what caused all…this. I mean, Dumbledore's sending an army of people over to the Dursley's tomorrow to talk with your aunt and uncle but if they don't know anything… Harry? Can't you tell…me?"

Ron had continued to fiddle with his fingers all the while talking, not noticing how Harry's face tightened at the mention of his aunt and uncle. But Ron soon lost all control, by the end of his speech his voice was breaking, begging for Harry to tell him.

_How DARE you keep this from Ron, especially when Draco bloody Malfoy knows! Oh God Ron, you don't how much I need to tell you, how much I want to. It's not that I don't trust you it's just so damned hard, so damn shameful. But I just can't, not now…_

Harry's inner voices were yelling at him for the idea of not telling Ron. Ron kept nothing from him, supported him through hell and back and _this is how he's repaid?_ Harry screwed up his face, opening his mouth to speak…

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"I…I will tell you Ron, I promise, just not now. Not now, not like this…" Ron's hopes were crushed; the merest idea that Harry would keep a secret like this from him but not Draco Malfoy killed him inside.

"Fine, fine. I better get back soon, they're expecting me…" the chair scratched the floor as he turned abruptly out of it, grabbing the pile of old clothes off the floor hurriedly and heading for the door.

_Don't cry, how low is that? Harry's been through hell and you make him feel bad about it? But… but I deserve to know! At least me, at least RON! I shouldn't feel bad about this, he should! I DESERVE to know, he can tell me anything, he knows that…_

Ron's throat burned, his eyes were prickling with tears and he quickened his pace towards the door.

"Ron, Ron don't just go." Harry pleaded from the bed. He was squinting to see him, his hands gripping the bed sheets around him.

"No, I really have to. I'll get you some new glasses, alright? And I'll be back tomorrow morning. Thank you," he nodded at the nurse who was walking over to Harry with a tray of steaming dishes for his breakfast, "I'll be back soon."

"Ron…" Harry's voice was pleading; begging him to stay even but Ron closed the door slowly behind himself and retired again to the loos.

_Maybe Draco really had a good grasp of this place; it really is the coldest most impersonal place to lose yourself in…_

He turned on the same tap Draco had let run, watching the water flow for a while before locking himself in a cold metal stall to cry away the day.

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"RON! EVERYBODY, RON'S BACK!"

It was nearly 1 o'clock before Ron arrived back at 12 Grimmauld Place and Charlie was the one to be on watch in the kitchen, everyone else having left after lunch clean up.

"Well? News?" Ron smiled back heartily,

"I saw him this morning right before breakfast and he was doing loads better. He's talking and not in much pain from what I can see. No news on what caused all this but hey, it's good news none the less!"

The stairs outside the kitchen rumbled as half the house ran to greet Ron and squeeze a story out of him.

"Why did you wait until after lunch to come back?" Charlie was questioning just as Fred, George, Ginny, Draco and Minta breathlessly ran in (nearly on top of one another). The other Weasley brothers and an assorted group of other residents soon followed in a less rambunctious fashion.

"Oh, I thought they might sneak me in for another visit at lunch but no dice on that one. So I'm back for a celebratory dinner!" His voice somehow remained cheery, so much that it almost seemed false. No-one thought twice of this though, Ron was Harry's best friend and it was only to be expected for him to be overly happy.

This however wasn't the case.

Ron hadn't returned early because he had cried to himself for nearly an hour in the bathroom and waited for another for his eyes to properly clear up. After that he had eaten a solitary late breakfast (courtesy of the Tea Room) and then cleaned up to come back and put on a show for everyone else's benefit.

"HARRY'S FINE MUM, NOW IT'S TIME FOR SOME FUN!" Fred shouted loudly up the staircase.

It worked.

Everyone left him alone after that, ready to celebrate after a fasting of happy emotions due to worrying about Harry so much. Ron wasn't so sure about going back the next morning but felt it his responsibility to Harry even after…that. Draco approached him a little later for a quiet and hasty talk.

"Ron, did he tell you? About the injuries, did he say-"

"He wouldn't say a thing. He just said that he'd tell me another time…" Ron slumped his head to hide his shiny eyes from Draco.

_God, you can't cry in front of Draco Malfoy! That's as good as treason; it gives him right to make fun of you later! Even if we're being civil and all, it only lasts so long…_

Draco nodded and simply walked away, leaving Ron to cry alone.

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"Here you are Mr. Potter, a nice supper to warm you up and put some color on your cheeks!"

The food trolley lady meant well, but just didn't comprehend that Harry could only consume so much food in a day. Apart from the Potions Healer, she considered herself solely responsible for his complete recuperation. One meal at a time.

"I really don't think that-"

"Oh, you must try this, the kitchens made it special, just for you." She was already piling another food item onto his plate; he just smiled at her and nodded.

_Good thing I'm excellent at Vanishing charms or I might actually have to eat all this. _

"Thank you ma'am, very much." She smiled warmly and passed him the over laden tray, watching him take a hearty bite.

"I'll be back in a little while, don't be afraid to take seconds!" She waved at the door and was gone, leaving Harry once again alone in his white room.

_I wonder how Draco is doing without me there. Ron told me some things but nearly enough. I want to be there and tell them all he's a good guy, a great guy, that he's trustworthy. I want to be there, I want to be with him… _

He picked at his food until it no longer interested him with a frown on his face, worried about Draco and berating himself for liking him at all. Eventually he gave up on the food and vanished a sizable portion before treating himself to a cool Butterbeer.

_Cheers to… me _he thought glumly, comforting himself with the thought that at least at 12 Grimmauld Place they weren't partying it up without him.

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"No you CANNOT have Firewhiskey at this table young man, do not even ASK!"

"Yes Mum." Ron looked glumly down, the table not even noticing the yelling going on down at his end of the table.

_Damnit, I was about to wash the whole 'Harry-doesn't-care-about-me-at-all' feelings away and Mum catches me! Great! Now I have to make it through the night sober!_

"Don't look so glum chum. Your little lover Hermione is coming in sometime tomorrow so if you can tide over until then…" George and Fred both laughed at him and watched his ears turn a fiery red within seconds.

"Shut up George! Mione isn't my 'lover' for your information!" Ron's ears burned red at his brother's snickers, he just sunk his head and began creating a cold mashed potato volcano.

_Hey, if I can't get piss ass drunk to wash away my depressing thoughts of Harry at least Hermione will be here to comfort me. Man, I need some more friends because I am way too dependant on those two._

"Pass me your glass. Under the table, while she's scolding Tonks…" a whisper from his side didn't go unheard; he obediently drained his goblet of Butterbeer and passed it to Bill under the table, receiving it back refilled to the brim.

"It's not Firewhiskey, something a little stronger but you'll be ok…" Bill winked at Ron, sharing a mischievous grin.

_YES! YES AND DOUBLE FUCKING YES! Goodbye feeling sorry for self, hello drunken fun!_

Ron couldn't help but smile as he replaced his glass on the table, a welcome ebb and flow of conversation around him concealing his and his brothers little under the table dealings.

"Come on Draco, you have to try this!"

"Screw all this eating, I'm full to burst!"

"Not yet you don't, we haven't even reached dessert."

"I told you that I'll deal with it, it's not your job to feed me…"

Draco and Minta were bickering over food down a few seats from Ron, Draco shunted to the end of the table with Minta. Everyone at the Place had been tolerant of his presence and understanding of hers by they weren't quite welcomed into the fold.

"…So then I said, why don't you put that broom to another use?" Laughter erupted around Tonks; even Lupin and Arthur couldn't suppress a grin at her last lewd joke.

"Why are you two smiling so much?" Mrs. Weasley eyed the two of them from across the table.

_She has a sense of smell for trouble, I swear to Merlins beard…_

"Nothing." They replied in unison. Ron immediately tried to make her feel bad for eying them at all.

"Why do you immediately pin us with being up to something? If it's anyone it's Fred and George!" _That's right, pin her down with being hurt and she turns right around…_

"Yes, you are right. Sorry boys, you two are the most responsible; just don't want anything to go terribly wrong. Wouldn't want to ruin the mood… FRED WHAT ARE YOU FEEDING TO GINNY! SPIT IT OUT THIS INSTANT!"

_B-I-N-G-O. What the hell does bingo even mean? Have to ask Hermione tomorrow… Back to this drink,_ Ron eyed his goblet warily; a little scared of exactly what Bill had poured into it. _Don't sip it; it probably tastes worst then that Muggle tequila stuff Dean and Seamus made me try last year. Just a few gulps andI'm done…_

The first taste of the liquid burned his throat, after that there was no taste at all. It literally tasted of hot water so gulping it down wasn't a problem at all. In seconds he had drained the cup without knowing it.

"Whoa buddy, you are going to regret that later!" Bill chuckled at Ron, lowering his arm along with drink to the table again.

"Why? It can't be that… ohhhhhh…." The full effects of the drink washed over Ron in seconds, his whole being light as air and his head floating among the clouds.

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	12. Catch a Kiss

Title: When No One Hears

Author: mintapotter

Overview: Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

WARNING: SLASH and references to self harm. Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

Ok, I'm trying something new. I wrote this in first person because it works better with the thoughts they have so my one request in your reviews is to say whether or not you like this (or if you don't care) and why! Thanx to all the faithful reviewers, you make me smile. This week's song excerpt is from 'Delicate' by Damien Rice. (I thought it fit oh-so-perfectly!)

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Chapter 12 – Catch a Kiss

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_We might kiss when we are alone  
When nobody's watching  
We might take it home  
We might make out when nobody's there  
It's not that we're scared  
It's just that it's delicate_

_Damien Rice_

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Supper had been delicious but I couldn't recall a single thing I had eaten as worrying about Draco took up most f my time. All through dinner he'd shoot me looks to see if I was watching and then when I wasn't I simply knew he was up to something. And Draco isn't so simple as to brush some food into a napkin and he sure as hell isn't eating it all so where is it all going?

_I need to stop worrying so much about others and enjoy my time here; Draco will probably get much better with time._

After supper most of the crowd reconvened in the front drawing room for pudding and drinks. Ron and Draco both slipped silently out within moments of each other a while later but not together and I didn't have the energy to follow either of them. Ron was obviously tipsy, from what I can't tell but no-one else but his brothers seemed to know or care. And Draco was most likely off to throw up the contents of his last meal but I couldn't stop him every time. He was the one who needed to do this, and as soon as he wanted or needed help I'd be there. We all would. I hope.

Yeah, sure, I know about the Slytherin/Gryffindor, Malfoy/Weasley enmity but this is ridiculous. Everyone is overly polite and stilted around Draco; they've even warmed up to me a little bit! I just hope they can overcome they're prejudices should the need arise. They seem the kind of group who could. I hope so.

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I truly, deeply didn't want to cause any trouble and sneaking out seemed the only way to do so. I mean, if I didn't I might never be allowed in to see Harry for quite a long time and that not what I wanted. They don't really trust me; it's like walking on eggshells all day around them. Anyways, while the group walk having coffee and tea and some way too sugary apple crumble I excused myself out to the hallways and over to the kitchens. Ron came out behind me a few seconds later with a droopy grin plastered on his face.

"Shhhhh! I need to be quiet! Mum can't know!" he giggled and began dazedly up the stairs.

"I wasn't making any sound you idiot! What are you?... are you drunk?"

_Ron Weasley, upholding the family tradition of drunken underachieving – STOP THAT! STOP STOP STOP! No put downs, not even in your head! Even if you hate being here you have to get along, at school these'll be the only people not willing to throttle you. Hopefully._

He smiled a little to himself and turned around on the second top stair. "Maybe…" more giggles. He then proceeded to try and take the last step but lost his footing and fell back heavily towards me.

"God Wea – Ron! You're not even just a clumsy drunk; you're a damned stupid one!" he was giggling and laughing at the hilarity of the situation and I had to huff and puff mine _and_ his ass up all the stairs to his little room eventually planted him down on his lumpy orange bed. Snapping my fingers for his attention I opened my mouth to begin.

"Wow Malfoy, you are VERY strong! Getting big old me up all those stairs! Stairs are tricky! And your white! Very, very white! You are PASTY!"

I tried really hard to ignore that and gave him my little speech. "Ronald Weasley you are considerably drunk and or high to the point of vomiting and should this occur please run to a hidden spot or nearest toilet lest any Proffe-" I had to stop and change the speech, "adult , parent or resident of the house catches you. You are not my responsibility however and I will not be in charge of cleaning you up, putting you to bed, or take care of you're considerable hang over. Understood?" I had given this speech a thousand times over to my sloshed housemates at school and it flowed easy as water.

"Yeahyyeahyeah…Justfuckoffyouruininthefun…" he was mumbling considerably by now and I decided it the best time to slip away.

"And now you're an asshole drunk…" I muttered under my breath as I left the room.

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I left the Place as soon as I left Ron, stopping only to collect my wand and cloak. It seemed that within seconds I was back in St. Mungos, back in the dreaded elevator. It smelled of light perfume but the scent of cleaners couldn't be hidden. I found myself gripping my palms and forced myself to straighten each finger out and close my eyes until I felt the familiar swoop in my stomach to signal the elevators final stop.

An elderly Healer bustled quickly past me, not even stopping to sneak in a smile or nod. She was a woman on a mission but this only made me happy. I didn't feel like having 'witnesses' to my having snuck out of the house this late at night.

The door to Harry's room wasn't locked but squeaked a tiny bit from opening it so slowly. The entire room was ghastly white, bathed in soft moonlight from his solitary open window. He lay in bed, completely oblivious to my entering. I shut the door silently behind me and walked up to him, just observing.

_Why am I really here? Have I even thought this through? Is it about the kiss that I've thought about and him? Is it about his Uncle and telling the Ministry, his friends, his…well technically his family? What to say, what to do…_

Harry's eyes flickered open for only a moment and then completely, he squinted a little in the dim light right into my face. His eyes looked like the deepest forest green in the pale light, he was so beautifully bewildered that I couldn't help but blush a little and smile at him. But the deep purple bruises and black eyes quickly brought me back to reality, that this wasn't just a pleasurable visit.

_What to say, what to say?..._

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I woke up to a form standing silently beside my bad and for an instant I actually thought I was back at 4 Privet Drive and Uncle Vernon was in the room…

"Harry? Are you awake yet?" Draco's voice whispered from beside me and I gave a tiny sigh as I struggled to sit up. He helped me a little and I couldn't help but scowl. I hated needing others around me, others to help.

"Yes, and you don't have to help me. I can do it myself." He was silent for a moment but began talking again in the fashion of Professor Snape. Each word seemed important and full of meaning; slow like they had been carefully pre-chosen.

"Harry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you. I came to talk about a few things that are very important with you but I have only a little time to get through them. Firstly, you have to believe that I'm on your side. I'm talking in your best interests, I promise. Do you? Believe me?"

I was a little disconcerted at this.

_How can he think I don't believe him? Of course I do, after all he's done in the past days how could I not? I kissed him for Merlins sakes, of course I trust him! Right?_

"Yeah, I suppose so." His shoulders drooped just a little and he seemed simply let down, I could tell without even seeing his face clearly. "I mean, yes, I do trust you. I really do."

He took a deep breath and sat down beside the bed in the rickety chair supplied in the room, starting up his speech again. "Good, because this is important Harry. You need to tell Ron about your Uncle, it'll kill me to keep this secret and it'll killing him to not know. He's pretty strong Harry but you keeping secrets from him destroys him, I can tell."

I exploded at Draco, hissing quietly as not to alert the Healers of anything. "How the hell would you know the first fucking thing about Ron? You know nothing about him; he has enough to deal with without having my own problems!"

_It's true! Ron has enough on his plate just worrying about me not dying and his family's safety with being in the Order! Draco doesn't know the first thing about him, he hasn't spent a moment with him without it turning into a shouting match! Then again, neither have me and Draco…_

Draco nodded and thought again before speaking. "I know more about Ron than you might think. He was bawling over you being hurt Harry, he… well he hugged me after my personal breakdown and he's piss ass drunk back at the Place right now because something happened here that set him off. He needs to know; not knowing will only hurt him more."

Draco stood up abruptly as Ron had earlier that day and walked off and back again, pacing between he door and my bed. He had rushed through the part about the hug because it was obviously a sensitive subject but I couldn't help but ask him about it. I'm nosy, I admit to it, and now I was concerned about Draco.

_A breakdown? Draco, a Malfoy, having a breakdown? Over me, over his parents, over what? And Ron was HUGGING HIM? What has my world come to?_

"Ummm… not to rub it in or anything but a hug? What happe-"

"I sort of fell apart in the loos and Ron found me and… gave me a hug. That's it. Case closed. Moving on and back on topic, are you going to tell Ron? I need to know Harry but I won't do it for you."

I didn't push the hug thing further, I started to rub the bridge of my nose and squeeze my eyes closed rather than squint all the time. It wasn't only to stall for time but it was really starting to hurt my eyes without my glasses.

_Can I do it, should I? Oh, I already knew the answer the moment Draco found me, I already knew._

"Yes, I will tell Ron. Tomorrow, I'll tell him and then the Ministry can do what they please about it." Draco stopped to nod once and returned to the chair, leaning close to continue about something else. His hands were clenched and he seemed a little nervous.

_About what? What could he be nervous about after that? Ooohhh… he smells so good, like minty fresh and vanilla… What am I thinking about? How Draco smells? I am going crazy; I need to think straight…_

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"Harryitaboutkiss." All my words blended together like a drunken slur, I had to stop to breathe deeply and re-speak them. "It's about the kiss."

He sat and stared at me and then out the open window, not speaking. One entire side of his face was a purple blue colour, and both eyes showed signs of bruising. He was pale, and looked dead tired. He closed his eyes and sighed, leaning back into the pillows after an eternity and slowly replied.

"What about it?" he wasn't being snarky or desperately in love, he just wanted my side of it.

_What the fuck can I say? I've been thinking about you since you left? I liked it, I like… you?_

"That's what needs to be addressed. I… I just need to know where you stand. What you thought about it, good or bad." This sounded perfectly calm; I kept my face clear of and pleading even though he wasn't watching me.

_Oh my GODS! What is he going to say! He'll probably laugh and think back at all the amazing lays he's had and I'll just sit here and look like a pathetic lump for even bringing a simple kiss up._

"I liked it. And that's not me speaking in a delirium, I actually thought a lot about it. I just didn't think you'd remember or anything…" I snorted and Harry finally opened his eyes to squint more at me. "What? What, did you or not?"

"Well yes I did, that's why I brought it up. And of course I remembered it; you're the first boy I've ever kissed." _And hopefully the only one. My Gods, did I just think that?_

Harry gave me a tiny smile and I could feel my cheeks burning as a blush spread across them; it was terrible how easily he could do that. I was already so close; all I had to do was lean in and kiss him again. His eyes closed, mine soon were too and the gap was nearly bridged, I could feel his warm breath on my lips…

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"Mr. Potter? Mr. Potter I came to check and see if you needed… Oh well then."

Harry was for once sound asleep in his bed, snoring lightly and turned away from the door. Every time I came in to check on that boy he was wide awake and staring out the window or picking at a cracker or cookie from his last meal. Not once was he watching the Muggle television we put in for him or a book, just awake and staring.

"Well, I'll be back in the morning then." I whispered. The room felt airy but I suppose it was just from me opening the door, and smelled like expensive cologne. I didn't give this any thought but quietly shut the door behind myself and quickly walked away t finish my late night rounds.

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"Oh my God, I was about to have a faint and die right there." Draco came back into view with his pale grey eyes wide as saucers as soon as the Healer had closed the door and was as pale as a sheet. _Well, I guess it's just paler than usual but I like that he's not baked orange. It's very pretty, very delicate…_

Since there had been nowhere to hide he had opted for standing behind the door as cover. I feigned sleep quite convincingly, both of us acting as if this was some longstanding plan should we be caught. I couldn't help but smile at the thought of being so deliciously quick on the uptake.

"Oh, you are the master of deception; of course we could pull it off. That Healer notices nothing anyways. Lucky for us I guess." Draco hitched his black cloak closer around his shoulders, peering thought the tiny glass window behind the door's curtains for a clear path out to the hallway. He turned back and smiled, an uncomfortable silence stifling us both.

_Think of something to say, like 'kiss me', wait too direct, how about 'take me now' NO NO NO!..._

"Well I must be going; I guess she kind off broke off the moment, huh? Do you need anything from me, anything from the Place?" I smiled a little at his blurry figure.

"Just… just get me some glasses. Soon, I can't stand not being able to see." It was lame to say but nothing else came to mind and Draco smiled once more, checked the corridor and left with a tiny sweep of his cloak.

I was settling into bed, about to drift off into an easy sleep when the door opened and closed quickly once more.

"Draco? What are you doing?..."

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I turned around almost at the elevators and headed straight back to Harry's room, my shoulders and back straight as I was on a mission.

_Here goes nothing…_

"Draco? What are you doing?..." Harry's eyes were nearly closed when I turned to face him but he couldn't even finish his sentence before I captured his lips with mine. His breath hitched for only a second, I had caught him off guard. My hand wandered up to his face, I couldn't help but caress the unmarked side of his face, holding him and stroking his smooth skin.

_Wow, this is what I've needed so damn badly these past few days…_

His mouth was so warm and inviting, neither of us seemed to be able to have enough of each other. We only breathed in short gasps, his hands tangling my hair and pulling me closer into him. We broke apart finally, his green eyes that I could never seem to shake off were still closed and his lips still parted and pouty. I stroked his cheek again and smiled at him, giving him a quick peck on the lips once more.

"What… what was that for?" He whispered in gasps, still breathing in heavily and I couldn't help but smirk.

"I simply couldn't leave you alone here without a good night kiss. It isn't proper to leave people hanging when they so _obviously_ need you." He playfully smacked my arm but we both knew I was being overly sarcastic. "Oh come on Harry, I left you breathless."

He blushed a deep red and squirmed down into the sheets of his bed turning away from me. "That you did Draco, that you did. Thank you. Good night."

I smiled at his back, thoroughly proud of myself for coming back and finishing this business. I couldn't have gone through another night without it. _Without him._

"Good luck Harry, for tomorrow. Sweet dreams." I left and blew him a kiss across the room to his slowly breathing back, so silently that I knew he couldn't here it. But somehow in the split second before I turned to shut the door, his arm reached up and grabbed the air above him, and then brought his fist back down and opened his palm towards his cheek.

I just smiled and shut the door with a click, returning back to 12 Grimmauld Place to a peaceful sleep and a considerably lighter heart than when I had left.

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I somehow passed out on my own lumpy bed, and it must have been sometime after the HOURS I spent puking my guts out in the basement bathroom. Somehow all the gods and witches and wizards were looking down on me and nobody heard or checked on me, so all was well. At least I didn't think so. Not much after meeting Malfoy was very clear, I had bruises that there was no explanation for, but they didn't worry too much. Bill was the one who came in at some ungodly hour in the morning to wake me, apparently for lunch.

"How was, ummm, your sleep little bro-" he started meekly and I quickly cut him off.

"Fuck the fucking fuck off. What the hell did you give me last night? I think my head might explode at any unexpected sounds…" I was grumbling into his general direction, the red light I could see through my eyelids seemed too bright in itself, I didn't even want to chance opening them yet.

"Well, it's not from here, I think its illegal actually. This trader I know in Romania gave it to me for a marriage present and I've only had a shot at a time." I smiled and winced as I slowly sat up, eyes squashed firmly shut. "And… it was what exactly?"

"It's called Firewater, doesn't sound very dangerous but man, by the way you chugged it last night I actually expected those effects." I finally opened my eyes just a little, to peer at him. He was smiling and standing in the sunlight of my bedroom, looking all too fresh and… awake for this time of day.

_Morning people should just leave all the drunken night folk, like me, until about 6 in the evening to wake up. This is hell, all this sunlight and waking up at…_

I glanced at my floating clock, goggling at the time.

"11? Do you seriously mean 11 in the FUCKING MORNING?That's a viciously evil and cruel time to wake me, you… how did you know about last nights effects? I don't even remember most of it…" He smiled more, and walked over to grab my arm and drag me, literally drag me, out of bed and down all the flights of stairs.

"I spent most of my night up with you for a fact, it was the least I could do after the amount I gave you before. Anyways, after you take a cold shower to wake up, Hermione is downstairs to see you and I believe your visit with Harry should begin in about an hour."

He shoved me into the bathroom with a grin and left, thinking those two things would just brighten my day.

_Well, weeks ago they would. Hermione and Harry could brighten my day no matter what a while ago,_ I thought to myself, turning the taps on super hot and stripping in the frigid air quickly to jump in and just stand under the steamy jets. _But now Hermione will only be fretting over Harry and completely ignore me, and she's bound to ruin our visit today. Not that she'll try to, she just will because I need to know. More than her much more than her. _I lathered up quickly and forced myself to turn around and turn the water much cooler, until the cold water caused me to shudder and wake me completely. _And Harry can go and fuck himself if Draco's close enough to know everything and his best friend can't…_

"What am I even saying?" I stepped out of the shower to vigorously rub myself dry and mess up my wet dark red hair more than it already was. "I've missed Hermione to death and Harry just needs time. I need them both, just because I'm hung over doesn't mean I have to be a pessimistic asshole about everything…"

"Oh really? Is that so?" Fred's voice floated through the bathroom door and then snickers followed as I heard him and a few others bound noisily down the stairs.

I stared at my reflection in the mirror, watching my ears turn a deep red and felt the burning on my cheeks moments after.

_Why do I have to blush so damn much, it's like I can't hide any emotions every because of it! And why did I have to look like this! Bright red hair that's never straight or flat, so many damn freckles over pale skin! Not only that, I'm almost 6'3 by now, I'm taller then nearly all of the 7th years for Merlins sake! If you look up the picture of gangly in the dictionary you get a picture of me. And not to mention, all of my clothes, minus the robes Fred and George gave me are crap. Man, if for a day I was Draco, _I gulped down 3 of some Muggle medicine tablets for headaches and stomped back through the cold hallway and floor to my room to get dressed. _Did I just wish to be Draco? What is this world coming to? Next up Harry'll be gay and Mione and me'll have triplets._ I was dressed and out the door in minutes, humming to myself and blindly hoping for just one day to go right.

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"Finally up and at him little brother." Fred and George didn't seem to have too much on they're minds except to torment Ron on his late night party of one, and weren't about to stop. Every since I arrived they had been going on and on about how they had had to carry him up the stairs and 'accidentally' dropped him a couple of times on the way up.

"Sure am, just taking my time." Ron's hair was a little longer than I remembered, but just as wild and red as ever. He still wasn't fully awake, I knew it would be about an hour before he had all his motor functions about him. He grabbed a roll with butter and stuffed it into his mouth whole, then took a few seconds to scan the table and find just who he was looking for. Lucky for him, it was me.

"'Mione!" his whole face lit up with an overstuffed smile, he swallowed the bun quickly and rushed around the table to see me.

"Hullo Ron, I just arrived this morning while you were still sleeping. I didn't want to wake you beca-" he abruptly came right up to me with a full smothering hug worthy of Mrs. Weasley and then pulled back as the 'Oohs' and 'ahhs' started to pour in from around the table. His face was already a bright red; I still didn't understand how he managed to blush so fiercely at everything.

"Nice to see you too Ron. I hear you're going to visit Harry this afternoon. Mind if I join you?" Now maybe this was a bit presumptuous but I had managed to plan my entire day (including the visit with Harry) with the idea that I was going. That I was invited. That I could maybe, possibly, come. But Ron was abhorable at hiding emotions and this was no exception. As we sat down to really begin lunch he looked away from me at my question and didn't immediately answer with a yes.

"What is it? Is he really bad, do I need to be warned or something? Everyone said he was doing alright, and I checked over his symptoms and I didn't think-"

"Hermione it's not that! Harry's doing fine, truly he is. It's just that Harry and I have some… private business that I can't have you there for. Not that I don't want you to come," this barely passed for an apology but I bit down hard on my tongue and let him continue, "I definitely want you to come, I just need some time alone to talk with him. Just a little while, a few minutes tops. That's all."

_When did they start doing things without me? 'Private' things? I mean, if it were some guy… porn… thing I'd just let it be but Harry's in the hospital for nearly dying, that shouldn't be on the important list! Maybe I'm being too intrusive, they deserve they're own time._

"Sure Ron. Whatever you need, that's fine. Really." I touched his hand under the table for only a second and then pulled away, my fingers tingling from my own unexpected gesture. He just smiled and turned to grab some more food, giving me a typical "I knew you'd understand." Thank you.

_How'd I go from hopeful, to pissed, to understanding and then back to pissed from what Ron simply says and does? I'm way too moody about these things, I need to just calm down and stop overanalyzing things._

I snorted out loud at the thought. _Me? Stop overanalyzing things? I wish. _I just let it go and was swept into the table conversation, passing food back and forth and ladling myself, Ron and Ginny some soup before settling in and taking a good look at who was at the table.

_Oh. My._

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"Ron. _Ron_! Is that Malfoy, down at the end there? Is it?" Hermione jerked my arm so suddenly that my soup spoon was launched out of it and landed with a light clatter on the floor. She hissed into my ear and then went back eating normally, trying to be incognito I suppose.

"Uh, Yes. Didn't anyone tell you?" I was searching the ground for my lost soup spoon but she shot me a 'you-better-be-listening' look so I gave up and tried to concentrate solely on her.

_Which isn't too hard on the eyes mind you. I mean, Mione's managed to create some real beautiful styles with her hair and she's got such a pretty face, she's way too good for me and my gangly looks but… I wish…_

I was pretty at ease about liking Hermione and her liking me; I mean we have for so long it's just some well understood thing between us. We're just so different that we allow little things to creep up on us and create some wedge in our friendship and then we fight and then we're right back where we started. As friends. That's the other thing, we've been friends right along with Harry for so long we don't know how to change, how it'd affect us.

_The Trio can't just become the couple and Harry Potter. Maybe we can go out and not let it change anything, not let it come between us and Harry…_

"… so then Bill was telling me about you last night and that you might not be up yet and so then I went and sat with Fred and George and Ginny and we talked and then we came down to eat while you were in the shower and then you came down and then. Yeah, that's all. They didn't say a word about Malfoy, it was all about Harry. So what's up with Malfoy being here?" I just realized that I had been staring blankly into Hermione's face without listening to a word she was saying but I got the gist of it.

"Well Draco is the one who found Harry, presumably at 4 Privet Drive but we're not really sure because Harry won't say anything yet and Draco hasn't spoken up for him as of yet either. Oh, and Dumbledore sent some Ministry people to the house but they just asked basic questions and the Uncle said that he just hadn't seen Harry for a while and had hoped he had run away so… so we don't know yet. But we will, Harry'll be ready to talk to us now probably, he's getting loads better…" I was drifting now; my attention was long gone from Hermione and was focused on Draco.

Something was going on at the other end of the table which no-one else but I seemed to have noticed yet. Minta wasn't sitting near him today; she was having a lively conversation with Tonks and Charlie's wife Hazel. Draco hung his head downwards like he was trying to hide his face, then suddenly stood up and whirled around all out of his chair. The table setting must have caught on the edge of his shirt or something however because every single one of his plates and dishes shattered loudly against the stone floor. His hand covered his mouth, his grey eyes wide with mixed fear and hate and sadness, not at all customary for what had been seconds ago a comfortable and friendly lunch. The entire room was instantly quiet and staring open mouthed at him but before the first tear fell from his eyes he was gone and out the door, leaving the room speechless.

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"Come on Malfoy, our food not good enough for you?"

"Yeah Malfoy, we never see you eating more than two bites. You're looking a bit, what's the word?"

"Peaky. And your way too skinny, Merlin only knows that you're used to the finest of everything but since you look like an emaciated skeleton-"

"We thought that maybe you'd give our food a try rather than die of starvation."

_Fred and George are angry with you but don't fight them over something this small. Don't. Sink. That. Low. Don't do it, don't fight back. They have every reason to hate you so let them. Just, stay, calm…_

I picked up my spoon and took a deliberately huge bite of soup, then grabbed a roll from the basket.

"I like the food, I guess I just don't eat that much. Oh, looks like we're out of butter." I deliberately didn't look either of them in the eyes and continued to eat as if nothing was happening. I could feel Minta's eyes on me from down the table, but I guess she was sated that I was eating and went back to her own conversation. Ron was too busy ogling Hermione and she was off on some rant so they weren't exactly concentrated on me either.

_Not that they'd care or step in even if they did notice._

"We're out of butter huh? I wonder why-" _they really never fucking stop do they?_

"Well it could be that Draco here's been using it for other purposes-"

I pretended not to notice a word they said. I stared deep into my soup, embarrassed to the point of tears and examining a piece of floating noodle with all my heart. My eyes were watering already, I normally didn't show emotion like this but I already knew where this conversation was going.

"That's the way he likes it huh-"

"Up the ass and around the corner is good enough for little prince Malfoy here? Who would have guessed?"

"He's asking for it, probably lets any old fool of his Father's fuck him if the moneys good and they aren't a blood traitor or Mudblood-"

_No. no. no. no. no. That's not it, stop, that's not it at all, why are they saying these things? Stop it, please stop it…_

My eyes were so full by now that blinking would have unleashed tears I was much too proud to show. I tried desperately to get away, away from them and anyone else watching. I whirled out of my chair too quickly and the very corner button of my shirt caught on the place mat my setting was on.

The plate hit first, and smashed beautifully, the first crack of it silencing the room. Then the bowl, exploding with all the hot contents, then my cup and cutlery. I closed my eyes for a second and listened to the crashing of the dishware and a memory of childhood swept past my eyes.

_DRACO? How dare you break the china? Can we trust you with anything at all in the household to touch? What kind of lazy half assed son are you?_

My hand covered my mouth, if anyone made me lower it I surely would have screamed.

_I didn't mean to! I'll clean in up and write lines, I promise! I promise to be good!_

_You know that's not getting you out of this! Get to you're room, I'll be up in a minute to deal with you._

I turned and fled, the moment I was out of the room the tears that had been burning up my eyes fell in two fat drops down my face. By the time I collapsed into topmost bathroom I was on the verge of breakdown, I didn't event remember putting my fingers down my throat. I didn't remember much.

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I was up the stairs about a minute after Draco had left, my Mother thought it best to give him a moment to compose himself before we went to talk with him.

"Ron I think it's really nice that you go and see him but we have to leave in 15 minutes, no matter what. Alright?" Hermione twisted a strand of her curly hair around a finger and bit the edge of her lip, already worried already about being late. Typical.

"Yeah, I'll be back in no time. We'll just sort him out and then I'll be right back and ready to go." I shot her a quick smile and headed up the stairs with Minta not far behind only to be greeted by the sounds of retching from inside the topmost bathroom.

"Not again…" Minta muttered under her breath and then pushed past me and opened the door. Draco was hunched over the toilet, as too be expected and he had a glazed look about him.

"Again? What do you mean again?" Minta didn't reply fast enough for my liking so I just continued. I hate it when people keep things from me. "Why didn't you say something if you're sick? We would have helped out you know! We're not evil about everyth-"

"He's sick but not in the way you think." Minta's voice was cold and she stared holes into Draco with her eyes, she seemed overly angry about him being sick.

"Listen Minta, these sorts of things happen, people get sick. It's to be expected actually, since he was so anxious-" I began and Draco opened his mouth to speak and then quickly closed it tight, squeezing his eyes shut trying to overcome a wave of nausea.

"She's right Weasley. I'm sick. I really, really am in over my head in this one…" He had started to cry a little bit and covered his face with his hands; I couldn't help but feel for him.

_Why's he so damn moody today? Causing a scene might be his forte but this is unneeded completely! He's sick; therefore we'll take him to the hospital. Simple as that._

I was exasperated. I really, really didn't want to deal with this on the first day Hermione was back. So I just compromised.

"Listen, Hermione and I were just leaving for St. Mungo's. We'll take you too and check you in and they'll take care of you there. K? It's really safe there too and-"

"No. I will not go there, it's not safe from… it's not. I won't go." Draco shook his head back and forth as though in a trance and then set back to crying. I just stood bewildered, I had no clue what was going on in his mind.

_Not safe? It's St. Mungos, not the middle of Muggle London! What in the world is going on here, Draco seems way too paranoid for this to make any sense._

"Draco you have to go and we both know it. It doesn't matter what you want anymore, what you want will almost certainly cause you more harm than good. I mean look at your health." Draco was still crying but obviously listening, as was I. "You don't have any at all, your just skin and bones! You are going to go with Hermione and Ron, whether or not you see it fit to tell them why. But you are. For your own good." Minta was stern and Draco was still crying, and I just stood there completely confused.

"What the hell is going on here? It's like you two are using a code that I just don't under… What?" Draco had whispered something behind his hands but I couldn't make it out. "Excuse me?"

"I said I do it. I make myself throw up Ron, that's the problem here. I'm… bulimic I guess. I guess I am." Draco stared out into the distance and wiped his eyes, unfolding himself gracefully and checking his reflection calmly in the mirror. This seemed some kind of revelation that he was making and my mind was exploding inwardly at this.

_Bulimic? BULIMIC? That's the crazy thing where you throw up after eating a lot or just don't eat much at all and do it anyways. But why? Some Ravenclaw girl got sent home last year for it but that time everyone already knew. How could? When? Why would… Draco? Draco Malfoy? What reason could he possibly have?_

"I I'll tell everyone here eventually but first I'll tell Dumbledore. But I will not stay in St. Mungos, I simply won't. I will stay here, even if everyone else has to know as well." Draco looked sullenly at the mirror, not too happy with what he saw I suppose. He then turned, shooting a very annoyed look at me. I hadn't realized but my mouth had been hanging open for quite some time now.

"Shut your mouth Ron, it's most unbecoming of you. And don't look so surprised, everyone should have guessed by now. It seems your brothers have, at least subconsciously. Let's go and then maybe this will all be over with." And then he strode past me and out into the hall, a wave of his hand and all the candles that had been flickering died as he swept out.

_How's he go from crying on the floor to making me look like an idiot standing in the dark? HOW? What is this, I think my mind might explode from too much information that makes no sense whatsoever. What a day this is turning out to be…_

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I entered the kitchen first, followed by Ron who instantly went over to a waiting Hermione to fill her in. _About me no doubt. Oh well, it was bound to get out anyways. The trio couldn't keep a secret from each other for they're lives. _Busy noises and laughter came from both the lower kitchen and the front room, people enjoying they're free afternoon and cleaning up together after lunch. No-one seemed too worried about my state, so I had no one to talk to about it. Which was a nice change.

Minta had turned down the kitchen hallway behind me to help out with the cleaning, so I didn't have a soul to speak to. Not that anybody was talking to me however; I had enough company in my head.

_You've been caught. It's bound to get out now. You've been caught. It's bound to get out now. You've been…_

_SHUT UP! Do you ever let me be? EVER?_

My Father's voice was like a broken record in my head, I could no longer hear Ron and Hermione's busy whispers or the laughter from the lower kitchens. His voice consumed all the others.

_Just because you left me doesn't mean that I'll leave you alone. The fact is that you've been caught. It's bound to get out now. You've been caught…_

"Malfoy? I think we should leave before we get any questions. That would be… the smartest thing to do." Hermione had crept up behind me, whispering without making any eye contact and then nodding at Ron to move over to the fireplace.

"Hermione did Ron tell you about me? Just now? Don't worry if he did, I just need to know." She first seemed stricken with the idea of me saying her first name without any malice, and then a little frightened that maybe I was mad at Ron for telling her. But she was a Gryffindor after all, so putting a brave and indifferent face was her forte.

"Yes he did. And I personally think it best for you to stay at St. Mungos but... can we discuss this later? Please?" The sound of heavy footsteps emerging from the kitchen was closing in and pushed us toward the fireplace and out of there simply to avoid any awkward questions.

_I can just imagine it now. "What was that about Malfoy?" "Do you always throw tantrums like that over little jokes?" "Did we catch onto some truth, you really do let you're Fathers…" I'd rather not think about that._

I went first, Ron throwing in a pinch of Floo powder for me. I waited in the lobby for maybe two minutes before Hermione and Ron appeared as well.

"Mum came in and asked if you were ok. I told her you were coming to see Harry about something but that I didn't know what it was about. I won't tell anyone about it, because I thought you were going to do that on your own. So," He took a look around the lobby, full of people with varying amounts of dangerous maladies and some Healers, then back at me and Hermione. "To Harry's room for us and for you?"

"I'm going to see Harry about something as well actually. Then I'll be out of your way and off to get Dumbledore for a little meeting. Let's go." I turned off to walk towards the elevators before Ron or Hermione could argue about my coming.

_I need to convince him one last time to tell Ron, and then I can deal with my own problems. And everything's easier when you've just been kissed._ I smiled a little to myself and purposely chose a different elevator for the ride up than the one I had been in so often before. I could hear Hermione's whispers to Ron behind me and didn't care. Everything would be sorted out, they'll see. I'll be back at the Place under someone's supervision; Dumbledore could tell all the residents for all I cared. Then I'd be back to normal and out of the grips of my Father, Harry would get better and I'd become friends with Ron and Hermione. All would turn out ok from now on. I could feel it.

_Yeah right. Everything gets better before it gets worse. You should know this better than anyone._

_Shut. Up. Father_.

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A/N: THAT HAS TO BE THE LONGEST CHAPTER I'VE EVER WRITTEN! (phew) Anyways, thanks to the reviewers and HERE IS MY OFFICIAL MESSAGE ABOUT MINTA! She is around for a little while longer; I won't say how she goes, or what happens. She is important to the plot to a point; she introduces some things that you'll need to know later but SHE ISN'T STAYING FOREVER! There you go, with that over with…

Tinas74

Thanx for the review, and every update on every Friday!

SeventeenthAngelOfTheSixthHour

Thanx for the review, and yes, I'm trying to get things moving!

BeautifulLady

Thanx for the review, short and VERY sweet!

Fairytale-princess-504

Thanx for the review! You basically looked forward to everything I put into this one!

lampshadesrgreat

Thanx for the review, and sorry for the spelling! I just suck and can only use Word Spell check so… yeah.

MyStOrIeS

Thanx for the review, and yes Minta can be very scary. (You'll see more of THAT later!) and yes and no for Ron and Hermione. They sort of are and sort of aren't… I kind of explained that. And yes, I am definitely going to try and read your stories!

HandsOff

Thanx for the review, and no its not sake. I just made up some wizarding drink that would get Ron that drunk on that little! (haha, good guess anyways!)

christina

Thanx for the review, it was an AMAZING compliment!

brionyjae

Thanx for the review, and of course I thank you guys! You're the whole point of writing!

Now review please and thanks with oh so many cherries on top!


	13. A Spoonful Of Sugar Part One

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

**WARNING:** SLASH and references to self harm. Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

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**Chapter 13 – A Spoonful of Sugar Makes the Veritaserum Go Down (Part One)**

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"Draco? What… why are you here so early? I thought you had to sneak out at night?" Draco smiled slyly at me and shut the door promptly behind him, turning towards me with his grin evaporating as he spoke.

"Ron's here too, and he brought Hermione along. They're ready to run screaming down the halls if they can't see you immediately so I have to make this quick."

He came around to the side of my bed and pulled up the lone chair, holding my hand and playing with my fingers as his voice lowered. His grey eyes avoided mine pointedly so I naturally was scared of what was worrying him. Draco was always upfront unless he had something big to hide, and this indirectness was frightening.

_Why's he so anxious? So what, Ron and Hermione are here, big deal! It's not like we'll snog in front of them or anything so…_

"What's the problem? What's wrong, I can tell something's not right…" He darted a glance at me and took a deep breath, his grey eyes skittish under scrutiny. Something definitely was up.

"I have some… personal problems that I have to deal with here with Dumbledore, so I have to leave in only a moment. But you can't think about my problems right now because you must tell Ron and Hermione about you're Uncle. You have to do it for yourself; you deserve to see that bastard rot." I nodded, but didn't ask what his personal problems were. If Draco wanted a secret kept, I certainly wasn't about to hear about it any time soon.

"You're thinking about what my problems are, aren't you? I can tell when you're pondering things; you scrunch up your eyes. And by the way, we must go shopping for glasses sometime soon. As soon as you're out we're on the town for a well deserved spree." My mouth formed a fake smile, his sighed with a hint of frustration. He knew I wanted him to open up and tell me what was on his mind, what was bothering him, but we weren't quite at that point yet. This was still the Draco I knew and hated from school, which I happened to suddenly care for. Of course he couldn't trust me with everything. As much as I understood this I wanted him to trust me, to tell me everything that had to do with him.

_I want to know everything about you damnit, I need to know you inside out. If only you didn't keep all you're secrets up in you're head maybe I could finally figure you out…_

Draco was still playing with my fingers, pulling each one up separately and then letting then fall back into his soft palm. I didn't want him to leave too soon; I needed to latch onto something to say before he left me again.

_So I'm procrastinating the visit with Ron and Hermione. I really need to talk with Draco, he's all I think about when he's not in the room. They can wait a moment longer, it sure a hell won't kill them._

"You've been in the Prophet you know. Front page actually, you're officially cover-boy material." Draco smiled at this, not making a point of saying something snarky back.

"Really? Since when do you read a daily newspaper? Since when do you read period?" I pulled my hand away in mock disgust, rolling my eyes.

"I do try and stay up with what the Prophet says about me, they inadvertently let some important information slip. But that's not the point; you were on the cover because you're parents issued a 'Missing' report on you. Dumbledore told the Ministry two nights ago that you were staying under his care because of 'extenuating circumstances'. They can't take you back because you're Dads-"

"Father. Call him Father, if anything." Draco pulled away from playing with my fingers again suddenly, staring at me with his eyes flaming in anger. I was a little shocked at Draco's behavior, but I didn't probe any further. I could tell this 'Father' thing was still a very sore subject.

"Sorry. You're _Father's_ supposed to be in jail anyway and since he's on probation for a short time he can't force you back until they investigate why you had to leave. So," I took a deep breath, Draco was looking a little bored with me and a little angry as well, "so that's all I know. It was yesterdays Prophet, I haven't read today's. I don't know what the verdict is yet."

Draco nodded thoughtfully, his blonde hair obstructing my view of his eyes. He didn't respond for a moment or two, but eventually shot me a slight smile to show me that he wasn't all that angry.

"Thanks for that. I'm going to try and talk to Dumbledore today anyways, so it'll all be figured out in the end. I must be off though Harry, I really shouldn't have been in here so long. Ron and Hermione will tell you about all my problems for me no doubt, it's not like you keep secrets from each other anyway. I have to go and meet Dumbledore; you're crazy friends are probably ripping to wallpaper off the walls to see you, so I'll be on my way…" Draco shot me a sly smile; his eyes told me exactly what he was planning on doing. He leaned in slowly, giving me a tiny little peck on the lips before coming in for a much deeper kiss, his mouth soft and warm above mine. I couldn't help but touch his hair once, it was so silky and fine…

"Harry?"

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"Harry?" Draco's back obstructed my view of Harry completely. He seemed to be replacing the mirror on the side table. Ron and I had become so impatient with stomping up and down the corridor that we had both given in and stormed into the room without so much as knocking.

"Mione? You actually here?" Harry's voice was followed with a warm smile as Draco pulled back from the bed and shot us a tiny smile as well. Ron kept his mouth shut about how long they had been talking and just smiled back, letting Draco pass between us and then closing the door behind him.

Harry looked pretty healthy, glowing even. A few faint bruises still graced his skin, a black eye was still noticeable but overall he seemed much improved to the progress reports I had been given back at the Place. He wasn't as pale and ashen as he had been after Sirius passed; a faint blush had crept about his cheeks. His smile seemed wary though, like he was worried about something we might say or do.

My eyes seemed to water on they're own accord, and within seconds I was sobbing hysterically into Ron's shoulder_. So I'm a little emotional in these situations it's just so… special to me._ Having them both around again is a little overwhelming at times. Ron just patted my back, I could practically feel his eyes rolling towards Harry, and I already knew that Harry was rolling his eyes back.

"Wow, I really am happy to see you too Mione." I could hardly choke out a laugh at this attempt at a joke. I was so into the crying by this stage speaking seemed miles away. Ron's strong arms aided me over towards the bed; he oh-so-graciously gave up the chair for my personal use. I stopped crying after a few more minutes of snickering from the boys, all in good heart.

"I miss you guys when you're not around, I don't notice until I have you both back… I have a lot to tell the both of you." Harry's smile was sad now; Ron and I shared a look of instant understanding. If Harry was ready to tell us what was wrong, what had happened only days ago, then we would be all ears. We were always here for him no matter what. The news about Malfoy could wait until later, Harry didn't need that guilt trip about 'I should have known' on his shoulders at a time like this.

"You see, I'm not quite sure where to begin…"

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I walked the length of the lobby as quickly as possible, the clicking of my shoes on the floor tiles punctuating my every step. A long bluish marble counter housed too many welcome witches and wizards to count, but somehow the fates were looking down upon me and one of the welcome witches was an old and kindly member of the Order who I had seen more than once at the Place. I walked up to her with a smile, feigning that we had never met before.

"Hello, I was here to ask you if you could help me locate a person." She smiled sweetly and shuffled some papers, and nodded.

"Who is it that you happen to be looking for?" I planted a little frown on my face like I was deep in thought because numerous other Welcome witches and wizards were now staring at me.

_Ok, so I'm a little well known now because I've been in the papers. Big deal, get over it. This must be how Harry feels all the time, I wish they'd go and bother him rather than me…._

"Well see, it's really personal so…" I lowered my voice to a whisper and leaned in, "it's the _leader_, if you know what I mean." Now, anyone listening magically would have instantly thought I was speaking about Voldemort or another high ranking Death Eater, such as my Father. She however gave me a tiny wink, and fumbled around the desk for a piece of parchment and a quill. I could hear people whispering behind they're hands now, the feeling of eyes burning into my back was overwhelming but I pretended not to notice and stared instead at the parchment she was holding.

"Oh, well that's very lucky for you that you asked. He happens to be here today on business, here's where you can find him…" I watched her scrawl upside down on the parchment, the words _Dumbledore, 4th floor, second door on the right from the elevators, knock four times and twist the handle twice_ on the paper. But, as soon as a nosy colleague got up to walk by and sneak a peak the letters twisted and curled into themselves, turning instead into _Ignatius Pigmy, 2nd floor, 6th portrait to the right, use the password "mumble" to enter_. I smiled fully at her and accepted the note, giving a gracious thank you and heading back for the elevator.

_So, agenda for the day. Find Dumbledore. Tell about eating disorder. Tell about family problems to land Father back in jail. Go back to the Place and tell residents about eating… problem. Make Minta move rooms because she freaks me out. Start eating well. Buy Harry some glasses. Snog Harry. Not too hard now, is it?_

The elevator stopped on the 4th floor and I stepped out into an atmosphere of disuse, like a long term care ward where everyone was kept behind locks doors. Everything seemed underused and dusty, the door handles shone as if they had never been touched. I arrived at the second door and began the tapping, taking a deep steadying breath.

_Yes it is. You're a failure, you're looks don't even stand up to the test and they were all you had._

I sighed heavily, the voice in my head could really take a hint and fucking _be gone._

_Last task of the day; get rid of Father's voice._

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Dumbledore had been sitting in the room with a select few Order members when I entered the room, discussing something at the table in hushed voices. The hallway had given a look of disuse but the room inside was cheery and bright, the polished table in the middle of the discussion was covered in papers and quills. The chattering all stopped as soon as I walked into the room, the members staring at me intently.

"I need to call a little meeting with you, Headmaster Dumbledore, and some representatives from the Ministry of Magic about my whereabouts and how to get rid of my Father. If that's possible."

Dumbledore was flanked by Professor Snape and a tall black man named Kingsley. Two other men and one woman who I didn't recognize sat there as well, watching Dumbledore for a reaction.

"That was on my agenda for the day as well Mr. Malfoy, I was about to call you from the Place to join us but you are a step ahead of me I suppose." His eyes twinkled and he conjured me a plump purple chair with a flick of his hand at the end of the table. "Sit, we were just discussing Harry's release. When that matter is closed we can commence the preliminaries about you."

I nodded and sat silently as the Order members recommenced they're work, discussing the exact timing of when Harry should leave, through which passages and which fireplace for the Floo. Every second idea seemed to be shot down because of one reason or another. Everything was completely hush-hush, not a single other person other than the Order members could see Harry or all hell could break loose. Even the Healer's who had worked on him had been sworn to secrecy about him to avoid a pile of photographers, fans, and fanatics alike storming his hospital door.

_It must've been quite a task not alerting the world about Harry being here. It'll all get out in the end, but maybe he can have the rest of the summer in peace at the Place where the Prophet and the Quibbler can't get at him. I'm in the papers once and everyone stares, what'll it be like when the wizarding world finds out the amazing Harry Potter was beaten by his Uncle? Thank the fucking fates I'm not him._

Eventually the meeting was closed as the plans for Harry's release were deemed complete. The woman and one man left one after the other through a roaring fireplace on the far side of the room. Dumbledore then moved to it and stuck his head in with a pinch of Floo powder, apparently requesting some people to join the discussion on what to do about me.

An old man in washed out black robed came first after a few minutes, sitting quietly and reading through the huge stack of papers in a folder he had brought. Only seconds later another man entered through the flames as well. This one was younger looking with the lightest blue eyes I had ever seen. He actually glared at me for no apparent and then started a conversation with the old man, before they introduced themselves.

"I," the old one droned, "am Jonathan Coggins. I am the head of the 'Missing Persons, Creatures, Objects and Artifacts' subdivision at the Ministry of Magic. This is my colleague Patulous Vernoft. I shall begin my inquiry with a few basic questions." He shuffled around in his pile of parchment before he pulled out a file with my name on it and began reciting questions.

_I can already tell that this is going downhill. The old one looks like he couldn't possibly care less and the young one looks like he's ready to murder me._

"Name."

"Draco Lucious Malfoy, but you do have my record right there in you're-"

"Age."

"16 years old, but it says right there-"

"Month and day of birth."

"Oh for gods sakes, July 23rd and for the last time-"

"Parents or guardians at the present time."

"I'll be stepping in here gentlemen." Dumbledore gave me a tiny wink, I was just thankful that he stepped in before I could properly rip the old mans head off.

"Since Draco has considerable reason to be worried about his parent's relative sanity at the moment his godfather Professor Snape and I will be speaking on his behalf. Although we are still all in the dark as to why we are assembled here." Dumbledore feigned as though I hadn't already told him my purpose for being there, so I had to re-explain myself again. Jonathan and Patulous however leaned in to listen intently. The Ministry was thirsting for evidence more concrete than Harry's word from the end of the school year and hoped that my story would be enough to put my Father behind bars.

"I am here to speak to _you_ and you alone, Headmaster Dumbledore. I have some personal issues to discuss, and anything the Ministry wants about my Father can be gotten through a separate interview." The Ministry people seemed quite taken aback by my abruptness but Snape remained impassive, his fingers steepled in his 'thinking' position.

"And how can we, the Ministry of Magic, be sure you are telling us the truth and not spewing lies out of spite." We all turned the man named Patulous in his slate grey robes who was throwing daggers at me with his eyes. I couldn't recognize him at all; he was simply a very aggravated man from the Ministry.

_Ok, so he's not a big fan of my family _or_ he doesn't want Lucious in jail. Either way is not looking good for me_. _I'll just have to give him exactly what he wants…_

"Veritaserum of course. And the Ministry can both brew it and administer it if my Father lands in jail because of it. I personally hold no objections as long as the questions don't wander." This floored the crowd; even Snape couldn't fight of a tinge of a smile at my direct handling of this unknown man. He leaned into the table and spoke slowly.

"I think it best Draco that you think this through before you agree to that sort of testing. They can ask you anything whilst you are under the influence and you have no choice but to speak." I nodded at him in deep understanding. I needed to get everyone in this room to believe me and go along with this plan. This was the only way I could pay back my Father and land him where he deserved to be.

"I understand it fully Professor. Although, I would rather do it somewhere other than the Ministry, I don't really trust that place. Perhaps the where I'm living sir? That way the Ministry can see I'm not being locked against my will or any such nonsense." I turned to Dumbledore for this question, staring pointedly into his eyes to get the point across. Dumbledore was furious; the thought of me wanting Ministry people to come to 12 Grimmauld Place was unthinkable. His light blue eyes blazed down on mine, he was sending me the messages that this was a terrible idea. I inclined my head a little towards a large black man at the table, an Order member by the name of Kingsley. Only then did even Dumbledore catch on, this was an opportunity to use some of the people from the Order who worked at the Ministry to come in, they could be the go betweens. Although even with this someone would have to be brought in…

_Come on old man, it doesn't take all day to make up you're mind. This way I feel safe at the Place and we control the environment. Not only that but the Ministry will think it's getting the inside scoop on my hideout, even though all the people there will have been there previously anyways. Come on, make up you're mind…_

Dumbledore nodded at this a little, then more and more. "Yes, that seems a perfect idea. Kingsley here will be there of course, and perhaps that little Auror I met earlier, Tonks was her name? Yes her as well, she seems nice enough and trustworthy to not leak anything important. That should suffice I believe-"

"I will be there as well, of course. I must be the administrator as I made the potion myself and need to use the correct dosage." That evil man cut in snarkily again, rudely interrupting Dumbledore mid-sentence. He seemed unfazed, adjusting his glasses whilst thinking. I knew what Dumbledore thought, I already did.

_If he says no it looks suspicious but if he says yes then this evil little man gets into the Place. Maybe some sacrifices must be made._

"I suppose that will do as well, but there need not be anymore investigators than that. So, I shall give you all instructions as to when to come. This should be arranged as soon as possible, so if you have a list of proposed questions for us by tomorrow morning then the inquiry can be held at that time. I hope to see you here again at 9 sharp tomorrow morning. Until then," he swept out of his chair and it disappeared instantly, "I must bid you goodbye because I have other business to attend to." The Ministry officials left via the Floo, but Kingsley and the other Order members stayed behind.

"Draco I must ask you to please go and alert Harry that we will be there within the hour to take him back to the Place. Make sure that Ron and Hermione are not there, we don't want them connected with this if one of the Healers comes out with too much information. Can I trust you?" I nodded once and left swiftly, hardly containing my excitement.

_So on my list of things I'm already almost done! I'm going to tell Dumbledore about my eating disorder, and I'll Harry too. He's getting out so we can finally go glasses shopping. I already snogged him. I'm having a meeting with the Ministry so Father ends up being someone else's bitch for a change. All in a hard days work. I deserve… more snogging for a job well done._

I couldn't help but beam as I rounded the corner in Harry's hallway; my insides were squirming in eager anticipation.

_I'm still here._

I shrugged my shoulders at my Father's ever present voice. I wouldn't let it bother me anymore. If my real Father was going away, maybe it would too.

I walked straight into Harry's room with a grin plastered on my face, only to be hugely disappointed with his response. He was curled into a ball in the chair, the first time I had seen him out of his bed since he had arrived. His crazy black hair was sticking up everywhere but his face was covered by his folded arms. He looked up, as a walked in, tears still on his face.

"What are you so happy about?" his voice was hoarse, and it was only then that I realized exactly what had just happened.

"You told Hermione and Ron, right? I suppose they're off to tell Dumbledore and the Ministry." He nodded and collapsed back into tears. I couldn't stand to watch him like this, not when everything was going so well.

"So why are you crying then?" he looked up with a surprised look on his face. I gently wiped away the tears from his cheeks, whispering and trying to convey with my smile that this was a very good thing. "You're bastard of an Uncle is going to jail, as will my Father by tomorrow and you are being sprung yet again. Unless these are tears of joy you have no right on earth to be crying Harry." He smiled and hiccoughed once, and I burst out laughing. Only he could possible do something like hiccough and set me of laughing like a lunatic. Even he laughed at himself, and got out of the chair to help me back up.

"I suppose you're right. Thank you Draco, thank you a lot." He hugged me suddenly, and for half a second I wasn't sure what to do. Hugging wasn't really my… thing. But this was Harry and anything I could do to help him get by was fine with me.

_Not to mention the bodily touching, of course._

I smirked and kissed him full on the lips as he pulled away, catching him of guard this time. His strong hands always sought out my hair, always pulling me closer. Mine couldn't help but to roam around his face and neck, finally finishing up by just holding his back through his thin hospital pajamas. We never seemed able to fit enough into these kisses, stopping was the hardest part.

"You'll be out within the hour, so I'll see you then, alright? Then again, they might be here earlier because of the... news from Hermione and Ron. But don't worry about that, we can go shopping later. It's my favorite sport." I wiped away another loose tear from his eyes and gave him another quick peck before I started to leave. "I'll be seeing you." And then I left him again, the same loopy grin on my face as when I had entered the room.

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**A/N:** Please review.

Luv,

mintapotter


	14. A Spoonful of Sugar Makes the Veritaseum...

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

**WARNING:** SLASH and references to self harm. Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

**A/N:** The song excerpt this week is by American Hi-Fi.

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**Chapter 14 – A Spoonful of Sugar Makes the Veritaserum Go Down…(Part 2)**

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_But nothing seems to feel alright  
I don't want your sympathy  
I just need a little therapy  
At least that's what they say to me…_

_Can't you see its killing me  
I'm my own worst enemy  
Knock me down I'll keep on moving _

_It's the art of losing_

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"Dumbledore! You won't believe this! It was his… uncle…"

Ron burst into what had initially looked like an abandoned room on the fourth floor of St. Mungo's to be greeted with a room containing not only Dumbledore but numerous other Order members as well. Hermione rushed inside behind him only a second later and then stopped to catch her breath at the crowd now staring at the young wizard and witch cocked they're collective heads and waited for an explanation.

_Why is it when things are the most important is when I make the biggest fool of myself? Why is it that when Harry finally tells us everything and we go to tell the world, is when Dumbledore must be having an important Order meeting? WHY?_

Now that it was time to tell them exactly what he had meant, it seemed the hardest to pop out the full story. Dumbledore nodded thoughtfully but Kingsley was already on his feet, asking Ron in his commanding voice exactly what he meant.

Ron's throat closed up, his voice box seemed to be on strike and refused to function. Even his eyes were watering as he thought back to the conversation Harry had had with him and Hermione only minutes before.

"Umm, well what Ron means to say is…" Hermione helped Ron to a chair as she began recounting the full story to an awed room, not skimping over any of the more grotesque parts even when her own eyes were filled with tears. Ron's mind melded her voice into Harry's, the memories of how his best friend had sat like a limp doll and told them everything about his secret past without so much as letting a tear drop pounded in his brain as though he was still there in the room with them.

_Oh, damnit Harry! Why didn't you tell us before, why wouldn't you let someone help you?..._

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"You see, I'm not quite sure where to begin…"

Harry began with a wavering tone, his anxiety causing him to pace the room back and forth until the nerves receded.

"I guess the first real beginning of it was as soon as I arrived, but from about 4 was when I remember it the most. That's the real beginning."

"The real beginning of what Harry? What are you talking about? You need to explain, I don't understand." Hermione shot him the question without meaning to open her mouth at all, receiving a dark glare from Harry and a darker one still from Ron.

_Let ME tell the story! It's hard enough to admit it even happened to me, let alone you two! Don't goad me on about this; I don't have to say a fucking word!._

Hermione's brown eyes were instantly remorseful for speaking out; she apologized quickly and looked down at her knit black sweater, pulling little bits of wool of it nervously. Ron glared down at her from behind the chair, his normally happy blue eyes sparkling with a little bit of anger.

"Go on Harry. We won't interrupt, promise." Ron was apologizing too, and this made Harry realize that they only wanted the best for him. They weren't nosy reporters trying to pry the story out of him; they were his best friends in the world. Always had been, always would be.

He took a deep breath, and sat on the window ledge, staring out of the window at the clear blue sky and bustling grey sidewalk below. He craved the fresh air of the outside world, but part of him knew that he would never be 'better' enough to leave this place until he had this nasty poison from inside his soul out in the open.

_It's easier to talk when you aren't looking right at them. Just talk like this, let it all out._

"Like I said," he sighed, "What I remember most is from when I was about 4. Actually, exactly 4. It was my birthday, and I expected at least a 'Happy Birthday' greeting and maybe a present from them. I don't understand why I remember this so clearly but I do know when it was because it was Dudley's birthday only a little while before and he had gotten loads of presents. We were having breakfast together, and nobody said a word. Not a single word. So I thought that maybe they were planning something nice for me, something small a little later, but nothing came. So at suppertime that day I asked him for a present, and he glared at me.

He said 'you're present will be a new room, since Dudley needs a new one for all his nice new things. You don't deserve anything, that's how useless and ungrateful you are.' And so that night all my stuff was moved into a cupboard beneath the stairs, along with the mop and broom, the cleaning supplies and me. I remember being scared of the spiders and mice and things in there, and that there was no light without the door being open. I remember it stank of ammonia and bleach and that every night they're footsteps on the stairs woke me up before I could properly fall asleep. I remember them laughing at some program on the telly, and me wishing I could be out there. I knew there was something totally wrong with me then, that there was something so terribly off that explained why everyone hated me so much, but I never figured out what it was.

After that it was all the comments about me being useless, ungrateful, a freak, a delinquent…As I got older they were worse. It evolved into queer, fuck-up, disgusting piece of shit…You think of it and I've heard it." He laughed at this and turned to see Ron and Hermione's ashen faces staring at him with astonishment and sadness. Ron seemed to collapsed a bit onto the bed, he sat in a heap with his long limbs piled onto it with him. His bright red knit sweater seemed out of place in the plain white walls that had encased Harry for so long. It seemed so odd to see him sitting there, the place where Harry and Draco had shared numerous lingering kisses; the place where they had nearly been caught. His mind snapped back into action, he turned to stare blankly out the window again.

"Yes, me, _the _Harry Potter, Boy-Who-Lived, vanquisher of the Dark Lord Voldemort on numerous occasions was… is hated by the family he grew up with. It's true, I'm sorry to say. First it was nasty comments, then the chores, and then… well it got more violent." Hermione sharply inhaled and Harry closed his eyes and pushed out the sounds of Ron's rustling clothes. He knew Ron was comforting her, so he didn't have to think about it.

"It wasn't so bad at first. It never was at the beginning.

When I was younger I was dropped into too hot baths, or frigid cold ones. That was as far as Petunia would go, she was never too bad. Somehow my magic always came through when I needed it most though. Like the stove. One time, I was supposed to be stirring soup and I spilled it y accident, so he got it into his head that I should be taught a lesson with the stove. So my hands…" he gulped and closed his eyes again, balling up his fists with the memories of pain, "So my hands got really, really burned on the stovetop. They burned so badly they were black and red and raw; bubbling and blistering… but a few hours later, when I was in the cupboard all the pain started to go away. They healed by that night, I never knew why but I was thankful for it. Little things like that happened all the time and they got worse as I got older.

It was a slap or a push, then a punch, then a few more. After a while I didn't even need much of a reason for him to beat on me. Petunia pretended not to hear anything; she'd just leave the house to the flowerbed and close the doors and windows. Dudley was the cause, he was the one to run off and say whatever he pleased as long as it ended up getting me in shit. Sure, he never actually pushed me around that much but he was a main cause and he enjoyed it… I've endured the broken bones, bruises that last for weeks and the scrapes simply because I could always get through it somehow on my own...But this last time… that was bad. That was very, very bad. I kind of gave up about then, I just let go and stopped caring. That's how Draco found me, in my bedroom and many times worse off then when you guys saw me. He took me to the Manor," another gasp from Hermione, "and got some of his stuff together, and then set off with me. His parents caught us right at the end, but he stayed behind and let me go first. That's why I trust him. He gave up his whole life's path because of one incident with me. He risked a lot, and I need you to understand that.

That's all I can say, that's the end of the story."

Hermione was crying into Ron's shoulder but he just gave Harry a sympathetic look as he carefully stroked her hair. His eyes begged one question.

_Why didn't you tell us?_

"I'm so sorry for keeping this from you for so long, but you need to understand. Every-"

"Shut up Harry. Just shut up." Harry sat up at Ron's harsh words, his eyes starting to water threateningly. Even though the sentence was insensitive, Ron's voice betrayed him completely. It was caring and protective, not threatening in any way.

_I should have told them before! How can they trust me now when I've kept such a secret from them for so long?_

"Don't you dare try and explain anything to us now Harry. We understand Harry, we really do." Hermione sat up and smiled her charming smile through all her tears and sniffling. Harry sighed in relief and pressed his forehead to the cool pane of glass, smiling at his friend's behavior.

_I knew they'd be fine with this deep down. Why'd I worry so much, why'd I hide it for so long? It's Ron and Hermione for fucks sakes! How'd I ever doubt them?_

"I need to be alone for a little while, but I need you to tell Dumbledore for me. Tell him I'll do an interview or something for the Ministry, and that it can be published in the papers as long as it's not crying for sympathy. The world should hear the real version of events, not a fake version from other people… and thank you guys. For just listening."

Ron nodded, tears held in for so long spilling down his freckled cheeks and into Hermione's bushy hair. She sat properly up and wiped her face, sharing a nervous laugh at how pathetic she looked with Ron. Harry turned to say good bye, but they were already on him, Hermione hugging him and sobbing into his shoulder and Ron encasing them both.

"I just need a little time to be alone, and then I'll be alright with talking again. Alright?" Hermione only nodded, her voice too strained to force out words. Ron patted Harry's shoulder reassuringly.

"I'm really sorry mate, I should've known. It'll all be dealt with now though, now that you've told us." Harry just nodded and continued staring out the window until he heard the familiar door click behind them.

_Now the wheels are turning and there's no way to go back to a time before anyone knew. The whole world will know; the Ministry, the Weasley's, Dumbledore, students at Hogwarts… at least Mum and Dad and Sirius don't need to worry about it. _

Harry watched a crystal clear tear drip onto his thin pajamas, another soak slowly into the white fabric of the cloth on his chest.

_It's about damn time to leave here too, to get out and recover without all these bandages and Healer's bustling about._

More tears fell but Harry forced himself of the sill and to pace the room, his sniffling and sharp breaths slowly getting worse as he tried to make them go away. He ended up in a ball on the hospital chair, weeping into his arms.

That was until Draco waltzed into the room and stopped the tears with the most delicate kisses in the world.

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**A/N:** Please review!

mintapotter


	15. Icy Hot

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

**WARNING:** SLASH and references to self harm. Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

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**Chapter 15 – Icy Hot**

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_The truth is rarely pure and never simple._

_- __Oscar Wilde_

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"Harry? Are you ready to go?"

"Absolutely. Please tell me that this is at least a little legal. I don't feel up to another hearing about my behavior."

Dumbledore's crinkled smile told Harry that no, sneaking him out of the hospital wasn't _completely_ legal, but enough that it shouldn't cause any trouble.

_Since when have you been worried about getting in trouble with the MoM? All this drama is addling your brains; you need a little peace and quiet to get back to normal. Maybe a little Draco snogging as well. Just for fun._

Dumbledore's smile widened, "Not completely legal but enough to get by with. I believe Mr. Malfoy already alerted you that we are traveling back to the Place immediately?" Harry nodded, "Very good. I will explain the agenda for the next few days on the way back then."

Harry had no choice but to follow Dumbledore out of the room, and was soon flanked by two people who were disillusioned._ Not very well, if I can tell that they're there._ Their footsteps in shoes on the hospital floor were much louder than his softly padding ones.

"Now Harry, the number one point I need to get across is that I am deeply sorry for all the troubles you've endured at 4 Privet Drive. Had I ever known that it was so bad I would have immediately acted." Harry swallowed the lump in throat and avoided Dumbledore's eyes as he pushed the button for the elevator.

_Don't well up and cry like a baby you idiot! Stay calm, try and hold some composure…_

"The Ministry should be visiting tomorrow to speak with Draco about his Father. We're all hoping that the information from that will be enough to land Lucious in jail. After that, you must also speak with the Ministry and give an official statement about your Uncle, at which time we will be able to arrest him through the Muggle system and send him to a Muggle jail. For an astoundingly prolonged amount of time, at the very least."

Harry just nodded again and walked into the elevator quietly, his toes shrinking back onto themselves against the cold flooring beneath them.

_Serves him right. But the truth of the matter is that…_

"I need a break though Professor. After the interview I sincerely need just a little bit of peace and quiet. Just a few days, after that I'll be back at everything, but I need a few days of no big worries."

Dumbledore appeared nothing less than shocked. Harry could even make out the sudden intake of breath from one of the disillusioned people also in the elevator, and then a snorting sound from the other.

_They're trying not to laugh at me! Oh for fucks sakes, I deserve a day or two off on my OWN VACATION, don't I? It can't possibly be that impossible to let me off for a few measly days!_

"Of course my boy, we expected nothing less of you. It is the holidays in case you have forgotten, this is just a blip in what is supposed to be a relaxing time away from school. Well, as relaxing as it can be…" Dumbledore trailed off, but Harry knew exactly what he was thinking that moment.

_As relaxing as it can be when you're Harry Potter at the beginning of the impeding war with Lord Voldemort. Very nice thoughts, eh Dumbledore? Just spilling over with happy butterflies and flowers…_

The door pinged, and Harry and crew stepped out into the normally bustling lobby of St. Mungos. Except the normally busy lobby was completely void of people and was filled to the brim with some form of a blue mist that spread quickly into the elevator from which they exited.

"Don't worry my boy," came Dumbledore's voice as he walked bravely into the fog, "it's completely harmless. We thought it best not to have too many people know that you were here and that now you're leaving. So this is just a little diversion to get you through the Floo and back at the Place. It's also a convenient way for us to slip off into some other hallway before someone figures out that it's not poisonous but completely harmless." Harry just nodded again, something he was doing astoundingly more and more often nowadays.

_Trust Dumbledore to shut down the main lobby of St. Mungo's for a few seconds for my release. This man never fails to go all out, let me tell you…_

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_Click, drum, click, click, click, drum, click, click, click, drum, click, click, click, drum, click…_

Hermione's knitting needles clicked and clacked furiously as she tried to divert her attentions as the seconds counted down until Harry's return. Ron diverted his much less productively by drumming his fingers on the tabletop every few seconds. Draco was simply doing his best not to throttle the both of them on the spot.

_Do not. Kill. Harry's friends. Do not…_

Draco's mantra was broken only when the _clicking_ and_ drumming_ stopped, interrupted instead by Hermione's voice.

"Harry? We've been waiting for you." Hermione noticed Harry arriving a few seconds before Draco had, but Draco remained tight lipped and forced himself not to run up and snog Harry like mad. At least not in front of them.

_God, I'm becoming quite the dependant little man, aren't I? Always needing a little more of that Potter fix, it's like now I'm a junkie. Great, junkie and bulimic, simply an orgasmic combination now isn't it?_

"Listen, I don't want to ruin anyone's day but I'm dead tired and would kill for some sleep. Anywhere. Please."

_Ok, not the happy reception we were eagerly anticipating, but this works too._

Ron and Hermione instantly turned to each other; they're minds working on the same level.

"Well he could in-"

"No, doesn't work because of-"

"Oh yeah, well then-"

"No, no, do you think he'll get any sleep in there with-"

"True, then the only option-"

"Yeah, that works the best I suppose."

_Exactly when did they get married and start finishing each other's sentences? When, and for Gods sakes WHY?_

"Well that settles that. Quite clearly." Draco couldn't help but add a snarky comment to the end of Ron and Hermione's rant, finally pulling them back in from they're 'finishing-each-others-sentences' mind set.

"Yes it does," said Ron, not noticed Draco's voice dripping with sarcasm, "Minta'll move down with Mione-"

"Don't call me that all the time."

"Sorry, _Her_mione and Ginny and I'll stay in my room because it's so full of stuff and Draco and Harry can share the top room. It's all settled I suppose."

Harry nodded appreciatively, scratching the back of his head and walking out the doorway with a huge yawn. "Yeah, sounds fine. If someone'll help me find it then maybe I can get a little shut eye in before tomorrow."

"I'll lead you up, since you're still half blind." Draco edged between Hermione and Ron and was last seen pulling Harry by the shoulder away from an impeding wall and towards the steps.

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"Well, that worked for the best now didn't it?" Hermione turned from Ron and picked up the knitting she had been going at relentlessly for the past hour or so. "Ron? What's wrong?" she didn't even have to look up to know that his eyes were clouded, his fists just a little clenched.

"It's just that… Harry and I have always shared a room. Since forever. And then all of a sudden Malfoy-"

"Draco, Ron, his name is now-"

"Draco, yeah I know. So Draco comes along and leads him up and it's like Harry doesn't even mind me being shafted and being replaced by Mal-Draco."

_Phew. Close one with the Mal-Draco. That really could've caused quite a little problem with Mione. Hermione. Whatever._

She fixed him with a short stare, her nimble hands never leaving the needles. "Don't tell me that you're jealous now Ron. You are still Harry's best friend and you know it. I mean come on, what was the one thing that he couldn't possibly live without during the first task? It sure as hell wasn't me or little old Draco."

Ron nodded and knew that he was blushing for no apparent reason. _So she's stroking my ego a little to make me less jealous of Draco. It's a nice feeling._

Ron cast a look around the room for something to look at or talk about other than Hermione, but the clacking of the knitting needles and just the way she looked in the firelight kept stealing his attentions back. Eventually, he worked up enough courage to ask her for a _not_ so proper rendezvous in the front room.

"Want to go to the front room and-"

She dropped the knitting needles on the table, stood and grabbed his hand before the words even tumbled out of his mouth.

"Already a step ahead of you."

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"Nice room. We have our own bathroom, and we're the only occupants on this floor minus Buckbeak so we won't have any stomping in the hallway in the mornings to deal with. Very nice…" Harry basically collapsed into what had been Minta's old bed, just lying on his back with eyes closed, mumbling all the highlights of living on the top floor.

"Oh, and you get to share the room with me, and what better way to spend your day, really?" Harry's face broke into a smile as Draco crawled into the bed beside him and lay down only inches away from him. Draco could practically feel the heat emanating off of Harry's body, and Harry smiled a little more as Draco's baby soft hair brushed his cheek.

_Man, like this isn't just screaming for a certain something to happen. But so what if I'm a little needy? Malfoy's are born needy; it's bred right into my blood._

Harry rolled over and held Draco's face for a long second before kissing him, soon after rolling properly almost on top of the young blonde and continuing much more than just kissing. Draco's hands were pulling him closer and exploring the nooks of his neck, shoulders, back… Harry ever so slowly slowed down until he pulled completely back, holding Draco in his arms while in a very peaceful and well deserved sleep.

_He fell asleep? HE FELL ASLEEP? What is this? Sure he's sleepy, but I have needs! And snogging for more than… 5 minutes per snogging session is one of them!_

But even as Draco's mind yelled at Harry, his heart was melting all over again. Harry's features were soft as he slept; his hair tousled as always, a tiny smile still on his lips. Draco had to remind himself of the immediate repercussions should someone (namely Ron) found them like that and eventually dragged himself away from the embrace to change and slip into his own bed, satisfying himself instead with staring at Harry's peaceful form as he slipped into his own nightly coma.

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"Let's get this straight, alright? Any of the questions written here are fair game to be asked during the interview, and the effects of the potion will force you to respond. Dumbledore read them and didn't agree to quite a few, but it's ultimately up to you to decide what you deem acceptable. Understood?"

"My mind isn't feeble, of course I understand. Furthermore," Draco scanned the pages supplied, sniffing at a few of the questions listed and then placed it calmly back on the tabletop, "I agree to almost anything as long as it is pertinent and will possible incarcerate my Father. So let's get this going, shall we?" The young wizard's way with words often made some adults crinkle and fall under them, but this particular man from the Ministry seemed to have something out for Draco. It was the same one from the day before, Patulous Vernoft, and he still had the air about him that he had deep problems for Draco.

_Maybe this isn't the man I should be trusting to dose me with Veritaserum and ask all these questions but… a few moments of discomfort is nothing compared to the relief of knowing that Father is away for good and all my dirty secrets are out in the open._

"A dose of two drops should suffice." Dumbledore was staying out of the proceedings as much as possible, but he was still very worried about Draco's choice of how the interview was to be carried out. Every resident of 12 Grimmauld Place were sitting quietly behind what appeared to be the kitchen wall but was really a see through version of it. Draco wanted them to know every thing about his Father in the hopes that he might gain their trust. Harry sat beside him, waiting his turn for his own inquiry about his Uncle to be held directly after Draco's. The only other people currently in the kitchen with him were Dumbledore, Kingsley, Tonks, and the administrator, Patulous.

"Here we are, open wide…" Draco rolled his eyes and tipped his head back, his mouth wide open for the drops of Veritaserum. The first drop was icy hot, like mentholated drops that are so cold they burn. After feeling one more he went to close his mouth but somehow one more drop found its way inside.

"Oops." The man snickered, turning away to recap the potion.

"I specifically said 2 drops Patulous, not 3." Dumbledore looked furious for reasons Draco couldn't possibly fathom.

_One more drop just means that there's no way that I could possibly fight of the potion! That's better in the long rum because it proves that everything I say is the truth! Why should he be angry?_

"One here and there won't hurt Albus, it was simply a little slip up…" the mans eyes shone triumphantly and made Draco think twice about this interview. _Why should he be so happy that the dose is increased? This already isn't looking very good…_ Draco could feel the icy burn of the potion flow around his mouth and down his throat, within seconds even the blood pumping in his veins seemed to be teeming with it.

"Let's begin this then, shall we?" Tonks finally spoke up, playing the 'young-innocent-Auror' to a T. Kingsley nodded sagely beside her, his enormous crossed arms giving the imposing image that _maybe_ he wasn't a man to be messed with.

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"Why's Draco letting us watch this? It's seems a little bit too much trusting on his side." Ron whispered to Hermione while shifting uncomfortably in his seat, his words almost lost in the room of whispering.

"He wants everyone else to trust that he's not twisted and evil, and not just because Harry says so." Hermione had been silent all morning, worried over everything that was now happening. Breakfast had been excruciatingly tense, not helped by Harry and Draco's near complete silence. With Minta missing from breakfast as well the conversation had lacked and had only added to the dark mood of the house.

"And what about what Draco will spill? Think they'll get the bilim, bulum-"

"Bulimia Ron-"

"Yeah, bulimia topic out of him? Do you think he told Harry?"

Hermione thought in silence for a moment before shaking her head no. "I don't think so. When we walked in to see Harry yesterday he didn't seem troubled with anything. I think he'll tell everyone at one time, if he does at all. And he said that he'd tell Dumbledore as well so… well I'm not sure but I think we're all in for a few surprises today."

Ron watched her in silence, her brow furrowed with worry and concentration as her knitting needles clicked and clacked incessantly to help try and calm her nerves. Behind her more whispering erupted, everyone speaking in hushed tones.

The entire Weasley family (including Charlie's wife Hazel and they're now sleeping daughter, Heather), Lupin, plus Ron, Hermione, Harry sat in a mel-pel arrangement of chairs inside the kitchen, hidden by a false wall between them and the inquiry about to occur. Every word from the other side would be able to be heard, even though the people on the other side would have no idea that an audience was hidden only feet away. Nonetheless, everyone whispered rather than spoke.

"Has anyone seen Minta? I haven't seen her around in… well since yesterday morning actually. Is she not feeling well?" Mrs. Weasley's inquiry was met with shrugging shoulders from Charlie and Bill, and not much concern in general. No one seemed to care that much about Minta, but she decided firmly to go and check on her later in the day.

"Everyone hush, I think they're starting…"

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"Tonks, you should be writing this all down. Good, let's begin." Tonks began to scribble quickly on a piece of parchment beside Draco, he watched as the names of everyone in the room were quickly written down at the top, then as she let the quill go it continued to write all by itself.

"Name and age, please,"

"Draco Lucious Malfoy, currently 15, turning 16 on the 23rd of June."

"Good, very good…" the man trailed off, checking the pages of questions in front of him and smiling just a little bit as his eyes roamed down the pages.

_Oh shit, he could ask me anything while I'm under this stuff. Embarrassing stuff, personal stuff… what was I THINKING when I agreed to this? He better stick to the shit on those sheets of parchment or heads will roll…_

"What is the reason you ran away from home Draco?"

"I found Harry… at his house and he… needed my help. So I brought him to the Manor, grabbed what I needed the most and left. Simple. That and I needed to leave anyways."

"Why did you have to leave anyway?" the man leaned in just a little bit more, encroaching on Draco's space off the table. Draco and Harry sat side by side, facing the audience behind the wall. The investigator, Patulous, and Dumbledore were seated opposite with they're backs to the false wall, with Kinsley and Tonks at opposite ends of the magically shrunken table.

"Because my Father is an evil prick whose main plans for my life were to make me the youngest Death Eater ever and frankly, the thought of being under some other sadistic bastards rule for the rest of my life didn't appeal." Draco spat the words out quickly, receiving raised eyebrows around the board. Even Harry had never heard him speak this violently against his Father before.

_Well they better get used to it because I have 15 years of anger just waiting to be spilled out in the open._

"Alright, good, very good…" Patulous continued to smile a little wider, seemingly pleased to get such an aggressive answer to his question. "Moving on… lets concentrate on your parents for a little while. Tell me about your Mother."

Draco thought for a moment before responding, something most people under the influence of the potion weren't able to do. "My Mother. Narcissa Katrina Malfoy. Born on September 18th, 1954. Married , obviously to my Father, Lucious Malfoy. What exactly do you want to know about her?" The faces round the table were flabbergasted to say the least. Tonks quill was scribbling so fast that fat droplets of ink were splattering all around the page.

"You are expected to continue speaking fully about everything about your Mother…" Patulous seemed a little angry now, but Draco shrugged and continued.

"Ok. She wanted me to go to Hogwarts and not Durmstrang because it was closer to home. She asked a house-elf to send me presents at school to give the rest of the world the idea that she cared. She's extremely vain, hates the idea of having children, and therefore only barely tolerates me. She used to care; now she sort of gave up. Reminds me often that I was a mistake…" Draco sat back into his chair, closing his eyes tiredly and rubbing the bridge of his nose with his fingers.

He reopened them to a picture of astonishment on Harry's face, his jaw literally drooping open.

"What?"

Patulous was soon back on track, and Tonks' quill was on its third sheet of parchment already.

_I guess that they deem this very interesting stuff…_

"What do you mean by your last statement? A mistake?" Draco sighed, a headache quickly spreading through his head. Whereas the potion had before felt interestingly warm in his bloodstream it was now becoming uncomfortable, and was interrupted with spurts of icy-coolness that were becoming more and more uncomfortable. _Let's just get this over with…_

"Well, that's a whole other story. You see, my Mother and Father went out for a little while, and thought it fun and all but they never planned to be stuck together for life. You see, somehow my Mother got pregnant with me when she wasn't supposed to, and neither her nor my Father could bear the idea of losing their inheritances over an out of wedlock child, also known as me, so they got married. Pretended to be all lovey-dovey and really into it, faked surprise that she was pregnant a few weeks later, and hoped to dear god that I wasn't born early. Lucky for them I was late, so it only appeared to be a little early compared to when I should have been conceived, but whatever. At the beginning I think they might have had something, maybe love, but it more than wore off by the time I was old enough to understand what they said." Draco heaved a sigh again, the heat now causing him to sweat so little that only Harry could notice it. A shiver ran down his spine and he sat a little straighter in his chair to mask the tremble.

"Alright then, and your Father?" Patulous' eyes were gleaming now, Dumbledore seemed overly wary over this next question. Draco just took another deep breath and continued on his rant.

"Well, my Father is another story completely. While my Mother feigns caring but is generally tolerable of my presence, my Father can barely stand me. The only reason that I'm still here is because I was born a boy, basically. I make for a perfect heir and a perfect sidekick to the Dark Lord himself. The only problem is that my Father doesn't seem to consider me perfect… So where my Mother reprimands my Father punishes. That's putting it as lightly as possible." Draco closed his eyes again, a wave of heat coursing through his body pushing his limit. It was bordering on painful now, and Dumbledore was beginning to worry.

"Are you still feeling up to this Draco? If you need a break we can continue this at a later time." Draco shook his head, and reopened his eyes again, only to find the lighting a little to bright, and his voice a little too loud.

_Take a break? I can't now that I've started, and I don't want to have to take that potion again. These effects are temporary anyway; the potion should wear off within another hour or two. Hopefully._

"No, I want to continue." Patulous smiled again, an evil smile that was now turning into a pit of worry deep in Draco's stomach. He ignored it though, as the next questions were fired one right after the other.

"Punishes? You are talking about abuse, I assume."

"Yes."

"Physical abuse?"

"Yes."

"Mental abuse?"

"Yes."

"Sexual abuse?"

"Yes. Yes to all the above, I don't need to tell you that for you to know that though. Anyone could have figured it out by now."

Needless to say, every living soul in 12 Grimmauld Place was speechless. A needle dropping in the attic into a pile of yarn would have echoed throughout the house. Harry unconsciously placed his hand on Draco's leg, reassuring him about this.

_Gods, they aren't supposed to know about any of that. But I can't take it back, I can't… I'll have to explain and I'll have no choice but to._

"Explain." It was like the man could read Draco's thoughts, but his mouth opened anyways to give details to all his answers.

_Explain in order and don't skip anything. Not even It. It has to come out sometime, and it's better now than never…_

"The Cruciatus curse is a common curse around my house." He began slowly, not sure how much he would reveal. "Yes, it has been used on me more times than I can count fingers and toes in this room. And sadly, my Mother knew about it, but she's too into her own self-absorbed problems to give much of a shit about me. She puts on a Muggle record and pretends not to hear anything, but I know that you can hear screaming straight through the house. Then she sends some house-elves to bring me to my room and make sure I don't die or anything. Maybe you see that as caring or neglectful on her part, take what you want from it." His breathing was becoming painful now but he forced himself to continue on, Harry's strong grip now on his hand under the table reassuring him to continue.

"Emotional abuse? That from my Father is a constant. The problem is that I'm not perfect. No near as close to it as he thinks I should be.

Take for example my grades. I've been top of my house in grades since first year, and every report card I've received has been burned ritually by my Father in front of me because every, single, FUCKING time I am beaten by a Muggle born Gryffindor girl. Hermione Granger, by the way." Draco paused to steal a glance at the false wall, knowing that Hermione was sitting only meters away, probably her mouth dropped open in astonishment.

"Another great example would be athletics. Sure, I'm an amazing flyer and Seeker, but for some reason I can't seem to beat the famous Harry Potter in a single game. I can't get a better broomstick until I can beat him and truth be told Harry, I don't think that that'll ever happen." Draco turned to Harry and gave him a tiny apologetic smile, before shutting his eyes tightly against another wave of icy cold shivers snaking their way up his spine.

"Then, of course, come my looks. I have never been skinny, or handsome, or perfect enough for him EVER. My hair is too short, or too long, I'm too pale or too tan or… He somehow planted the idea in my mind that I could maybe win in Quidditch if I didn't weigh as much. That slowly turned into nightly dinner table talk about how much I eat and how I really should lay off, lest I become stupid, lazy _and_ fat. After a while I barely ate anything to try and appease him, and now anything I do eat I throw up anyway. Lastly is It, and I don't feel like talking about It."

Everyone was shocked, their eyebrows so high on their forehead that they barely had anywhere else to go. Then Draco groaned just slightly, and although the eyebrows tried to go higher they simply couldn't.

"Are you really alright my boy?" Dumbledore's voice was full of concern, but Draco took one deep, steadying breath and settled back in his chair.

"I'm fine. This is almost done anyways…" the man, Patulous, smirked only slightly and finished with one more question.

"What's 'it' Draco? Pertaining to the sexual abuse I suppose?"

_Come on Draco talk about it but… not in front of everyone! What'll they think of you? A cheap whore? No, fight the temptation to say everything, don't do it…_

"I said. That I do not. Talk about It." His sweaty hand slipped from Harry's, they clutched his sides a little bit to try and control the flashes of heat and cold that were now enveloping his body.

"I believe that's enough for one day-" began Dumbledore.

"What about it, Draco, tell us!" Patulous seemed nearly overwhelmed with his emotions now, his eyes were gleaming and prodding for answers.

"I said. I don't. TALK ABOUT IT." Even as Draco hissed the words the pain increased inside his body.

"Come on Draco, you don't look so good. Let's go…" Harry moved to grab one of Draco's arms to take him away as Dumbledore and Kingsley both stood up.

"I think he made a point Patulous, he seems done with this-" Dumbledore's normally twinkling eyes were blazing in anger, he seemed so much more imposing standing up now than only moments before.

"Yes, I think this interview is more than over." Kingsley's deep voice caused another shiver to run up Draco's spine, his tone alone seemed enough to kill the man.

The interviewer stood as well, pushing his hand out as though to hush them, "No, we're nearly there, what about 'it' Dra-"

"HOW WOULD YOU BLOODY FEEL ABOUT BEING FUCKED BY SOMEONE WHO HATE! ELEVEN GODDAMNED TIMES! ELEVEN! LET ALONE BY THE FATHER WHO SO HATES YOU! HUH? LET ME TELL YOU HOW I FEEL! USED! AND DISGUSTING AND WORTHLESS BEYOND ALL BELIEF! IS THAT WHAT YOU WANTED TO HEAR? IS THAT WHAT YOU SO FUCKING BLOODY NEEDED TO KNOW?" Draco screaming echoed along the cold stone walls of the dining room, the silence suddenly punctuated by a sharp sob.

His own.

His voice seemed about to rip itself out of his body, like all the harsh and ragged feelings that had been welled up for so long had escaped and this raw emotion was the only way they could be free.

_How Draco, how? How'd you let them… oh gods now they ALL know, everyone knows and… oh gods…_

His tiny hand fluttered to his mouth, covering it as another sob wrenched itself through. Tears had sprung down his face, trailing down his now sweat sleeked cheeks. A wave of pain so fierce he though he might burn to death wove its way through him, causing him to half choke on his own sob. Harry's soothingly cool hands were holding him now, his voice deep and calm in his ear.

"Let's go Draco. You did so well in there and I'm so very proud of you, but you need to rest." Harry's strong arms were leading him out of the dining room, as the yelling voices of Dumbledore, Patulous and Kinsley all mingled behind them. "I'm so very proud of you Draco, and so, so very sorry. I am, I am truly sorry." His voice was barely a whisper, but Draco felt it conveyed emotion than he had ever thought possible in a voice.

_He's not disgusted with me. He's not angry, or appalled or mad at me keeping secrets or… oh god…_

Draco had to close his eyes and lean his head on Harry's strong shoulder as a wave of icy-cold tingles spread up through his back and down through his entire body. Harry expertly led him to the front room, and lay him down upon a black velvet couch to rest.

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"You did so good Draco, so well. You just rest." Harry stroked Draco's pale, limp hair from his forehead, holding his other sweaty hand within his own. His tears had subsided, and the sobbing had for the most part stopped but the racking pain still seemed to have a grip on him.

_Oh gods Draco, what have they done to you? If that potion was poisonous, or harmful or causes you anymore pain, so help me I will bring down the man who brewed it. You don't deserve this; it must have been hard enough to get through that without the pain…_

Draco lay on the couch, his black t-shirt clinging to him, his brow covered in a cold sweat. He mumbled occasionally, but seemed too far out of it to get anything coherent through. Suddenly his back arched up and he pulled into a sitting position, holding himself onto Harry.

"I'm so hot Harry, it burns… mmm, and you're so cold, nice and cool…" He pulled Harry's hands up to his neck, the cool skin refreshing Draco's entire system.

"Did they really hear all that, do you think that they really heard every… ohhh…" he moaned and pushed Harry away, lying back down on the coach and cradling himself, goose bumps suddenly appearing as he shook and shivered uncontrollably.

"You're too cold, I'm so cold… is there anything warm here? Can you get someone warm?" Draco was mumbling again, giving Harry time to find a warm comforter from another chair and tucking it around his quivering frame.

"I'm going to go and get someone to fix this, ok Draco? I'll be right back, don't you worry…" Harry tried to soothe him but Draco was holding him again, the blanket thrown off without warning.

"No, don't leave me alone after all this, stay here…" Draco pushed his head into the crook between Harry's shoulder and head, plying his hands between his back and his t-shirt and pressing them into his cool flesh.

"I'm not going anywhere Draco, I promise you…" Harry held Draco a little closer and kissed the top of his head, but he was already retreating beneath the comforter, his shivering hand clenched between his tanned fingers.

_I'm right here Draco, whenever you need me and even when you don't. Let's just hope that Dumbledore doesn't walk in here when you're having a hot flash, shall we?_

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**A/N: **Please review (my only plea)

luv, mintapotter


	16. Not Built to Pity

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

**WARNING:** SLASH and references to self harm. Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

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**Chapter 16 – Not Built to Pity**

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"Harry? You need to sleep mate, you look worn out." Ron passed Harry a cup of coffee, black with two shots of sugar.

"Well Draco's not just sick he's…. I don't know I-"

"Feel responsible? Why am I not astonished?" Hermione and Ron shared a small smile which Harry pointedly ignored, trying not to let they're comments get to him.

_I feel responsible for Draco's well-being in general; I need to make him better, to make him happy. I can't explain that to them, they just think that I'm stuck on my 'hero instinct' complex…_

Harry drained his coffee in record time, finishing it with a long yawn and a sleepy rubbing of his eyes.

"Harry mate, you've been up all night. The Healers coming in an hour and until then you should just rest up. He doesn't need you constantly." Harry shrugged, stretching his shoulders and arms a bit before getting up from the table.

"I'll rest when the Healer gets here. Then it'll be his responsibility for a while." He smiled and walked out, heading back to the front parlor to a fitfully sleeping Draco. He was in a 'cold wave', shivering mercilessly under a think down comforter.

"I see that you take no breaks, do you Harry?" Dumbledore was watching Draco with sadness from a darkened corner of the room, scaring Harry thoroughly as he stepped out of them.

"I just feel better to know that he's still ok, and not worry about it from somewhere else."

Dumbledore nodded sagely, handing Harry a tiny phial of a purple liquid from inside his robes, and patting his hand with a smile.

"When the Healer gets here I expect you to rest. You've had no sleep from last night, so take this as soon as he arrives. It's for about 6 hours of dreamless sleep, enough to catch you up." Dumbledore turned to leave the room slowly, leaving Harry to stand beside Draco's makeshift bed with the potion.

_I'll take half when the Healer's done and told me exactly what's wrong and how I can help. I mean, who _really_ needs 6 hours of sleep anyways? How can you go that long when someone around you is so ill?_

"Is Patulous… the man…" Harry's voice wavered and fell off, his fury against the man welling up his throat.

"He will be punished according to the Ministry law, as will your Uncle and Draco's Father within the next few days. It'll be very busy for you two for a little while, but when everything is settled then you can get back to normal." He closed the door with a click, leaving Harry and Draco alone once more. Harry immediately sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing Draco's hair back lovingly form his forehead.

"You see Draco? Everything will get back to normal soon enough. My Uncle, that asshole from last night, your Father, they'll all just be bad memories from the past. Then we can get back to normal, go to school…" Harry abruptly stopped, his mind whirling at the thought.

_Back to _normal_? Normal for me and Draco is us calling each other 'Ferret Boy' and 'Scar Head', taunts and jaunts at each others Houses… how can _we_ go back to _normal_? What even is normal anymore?_

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"Hello, my name is-"

"Arthur. I remember you from St. Mungos. You were one of the Healers who worked on me, only a little while ago."

The Healer smiled and shook Harry's hand, turning to study Draco's still sleeping form.

"Nice to know that you remembered Mr. Potter. Let's get right down to business, shall we?" He sat on the chair beside the bed and with a snap of his fingers a nearby lamp lit, casting a very faint yellow glow through the room. He set down a big black leather bag upon the floor, opening the top clasps carefully and examining a few bottles.

"You've been in here with him basically all night, so you know all his symptoms and such? Could you explain it to me?" he was now checking through more potions, laying them out on a nearby table.

"Well he's either really hot with a fever and pains, or really cold with uncontrollable shivers and … well pain again. At first it was really quick, back and forth and now it takes about 30 minutes or so between each." The Healer nodded and motioned for him to continue. "When Dumbledore came in last night I thought that we should give him some pain medications, but he said that right after and overdose of Veritaserum its much too dangerous." The Healer nodded again, a look of surprise on his face.

"Veritaserum overdose? How much?"

"3 drops, and the Ministry and Dumbledore think that the batch was made extra potent, up to twice the normal limit." Arthur's eyebrows shot up, and he slowly began putting away most of his potions.

"I see. And did he fight the effects or go along with it smoothly?"

Harry smirked. "He answered them all, but he fought really hard against a few and nearly won one as well…" Harry's ears were still ringing with Draco's words of anger from the previous night.

Arthur put away his last few potions and handed Harry only one, a light blue watery substance that turned red when turned upside down.

"With Veritaserum any pain medications and potions can act as a catalyst, which is the last thing we want to happen. Seeing as the potency, overdose and fighting of the potion, it's too dangerous for almost everything. But, this nifty little potion that I created, "he motioned towards the bottle with pride, "is completely safe for use in this situation. Give him a dose of blue when he's hot and a dose of red when he's cold, but only 2 drops and DO NOT give him any before tomorrow." Harry was completely surprised.

_TOMORROW? But he's in pain NOW, why wait so long to give him something he needs?_

"Why so long a wait?"

"Too dangerous now, a lot of things could still go wrong. He should be basically functional within about 3 days, give or take a few. Give it time." He smiled and patted Harry on the back, then picked up his bag and left.

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**A/N: **Review if you have it in you!

mintapotter


	17. Not Built to Pity Part Two

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

**WARNING:** SLASH and references to self harm. Guy/Guys! If you no likee, you no readee.

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**Chapter 17 – Not Built to Pity - Part 2**

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"Harry? Can I have some water please?" Draco's voice was tiny but he knew that Harry had heard him because he left the room quickly to retrieve him his glass.

_Oh. My. God. What have I done? I've told them everything, it'll be in the papers and by tomorrow it'll only be the biggest scandal in the Wizarding world, minus the story about Harry and his Uncle! And they'll know that we're connected, that we were together through a lot of this so put the stories together and… I can't even think that far…_

Draco sighed and rolled off the bed and onto the floor, painfully pulling himself up into a sitting position back on the bed and leaving the blanket in a heap at his feet.

_Come on Harry, this is your chance…_

Another wave of pain curled up from Draco's legs, through his back and up into his head. It felt like at any moment it might explode; a headache beyond headaches.

_Come on Harry, this is you're big chance and you know it…_

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_Should I, or shouldn't I?_

Harry stood against the counter, alone with his thoughts in the kitchen.

_Should I help Draco out and potentially save him from days of pain?_

He fingered the tiny bottle of fluid, turning it over and over just to watch it turn from icy blue to fiery orange-red. The watery potion intrigued him, how that tiny bottle held so many choices.

_Or should I play it safe and potentially save him from more pain than he is already in?_

Minta walked into the kitchen without a sound, startling Harry as she suddenly stood at his shoulder. He quickly pocketed the potion, rubbing the cold glass within his sweater pocket.

"You look preoccupied with a very… deep thought." She said slowly, turning away from him and leaving to inspect a basket of shiny red apples on the counter. "I'll give you some advice. Whatever it is that you're debating, just do it and stop debating. Makes life easier, huh?" Harry smiled at her, noticing that something was a little off about how her face looked in the light, something in her eyes… but he pushed the thoughts back as she left the room and pulled out the phial again.

_Well Draco, here it goes…_

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"Draco, here's your water. Drink it slowly." Draco nodded with his eyes tightly shut and accepted the glass, wrapping both his hands around it and sipping slowly.

_Its cold, but I can't taste anything in it. Did he, or didn't he?_

"There you go. Now back in bed, you need to rest and keep yourself hydrated and then you'll get better. So you sleep and just call if you need anything, ok?" Harry spoke softly and took away the glass as Draco had drained nearly half, then helped lay him back down on his makeshift bed.

He couldn't feel any difference flowing instantaneously through his veins, couldn't tell if in fact the water had been drugged. He instead concentrated on falling back asleep; the one place where the hot bursts of pain couldn't grip him. His breathing slowed and steadied as Harry lightly stroked his hair away from his forehead for a few minutes, then left the room again with a click of the door.

_Either way shows that he cares. If he's concerned about the pain he'll give it to me, if he's worried about my health getting worse than he won't. Either way shows he cares…_

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**Flashback**

The room sat in complete silence, watching and listening to the fight unfolding in the opposite room.

Dumbledore had never looked angrier; he stormed around the room, commanding the silence of everyone watching him. Kingsley looked ready to throttle the man standing in front of him, and seemed only to be holding back from doing so until Dumbledore was finished his rant. Patulous was glued to the spot, trying to inject with wide eyes every so often only to be cut off with more yelling from the two men. Tonks was the only quiet one, watching the fight with some form of horror, glancing every so often at the transcripts taken.

After nearly ten minutes of this treatment all 4 of them left through the kitchen fireplace, Dumbledore going first to make sure that Patulous could not possibly enter the Ministry of Magic and then try and run. He was obviously a marked man, and by Dumbledore no less. The moment they were gone, the house returned to its unnatural quiet, the kitchen before them empty.

"Hermione? Are you alright?" Ron leaned over and whispered in her ear, her face blank with complete shock. He picked up her knitting needles and yarn from the floor and held them on his lap, rubbing her hand and watching expectantly for a reaction of any kind.

_How could… how could this all happen with no-one ever noticing? How could this all happen, how could he keep a secret like… _

"Did you know? Did you have any idea about… any of that?" Hermione asked him slowly, her face still frozen in shock. Tears were springing now; she wiped them away and stared expectantly at Ron, awaiting his answer. "If you had known, would we have treated him the same way at school? Here even?" Ron shook his head, the thought of how Draco had made it through school, how seemingly most of his problems were caused by them, the Golden Trio.

_No, we wouldn't but… how could we have known that? Nobody knew, nobody had a clue…_

One row of chairs back, Mrs. Weasley rounded on Fred and George, who were speaking incoherently to each other in broken sentences.

"Did you know-?"

"No did you?"

"Course not! But at the table-"

"That explains it! Why he-"

"Yes! It all makes sense with-"

"That means that we were right and-"

"It still isn't really our fault though, right?"

"Fred and George Weasley, what did he mean by 'your brothers knew, even unconsciously'? Hmm? What did you two say?" She eyed them angrily and they instantly dropped they're heads in shame.

"We didn't know Mum, we really didn't."

"We just said some things at the table the other day-"

"That's why he rushed out all of a sudden-"

"But we swear that-"

"We didn't know any of it. Honestly." They finished in unison, watching with fear as her face slowly turned a very angry shade of red.

"Maybe this will teach you two to watch you're mouths when speaking to other people! You're comments have effects! I need to go and check on the boys, and maybe find that elusive girl while I'm at it. Oh heavens…" she muttered as she left the room quickly, already fretting over Draco's health.

Everyone else began to look at each other, trying to soak in all the facts from the interview, to make sense of how all of it had come to be.

"I think," Said Hermione calmly, "that we should just be supportive of Draco from now one and tell him that we're sorry. As soon as he's well enough to hear it. Understood Ron?" He nodded vigorously, fingering the wool between his fingers, piecing together the clues.

_Fred and George made fun of how he never ate, how he was so skinny, how he was gay and… if we had only known, everything would have been different… right?_

**Flashback End**

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"Draco! Draco what's wrong?" Harry walked back into the room minutes later, swallowing the last of his blueberry muffin as he walked back into the darkened room.

Draco lay on the bed, face up and covered in a thin sheen of sweat. His back was arched ever so slightly in pain, his face scrunched up against a scream.

_Oh shit, it's all wrong, I did it all wrong…_

He knelt at the bedside, squeezing Draco's hand and feeling his forehead with the back of his hand, pulling away at the heat.

"Oh Draco, I'm so sorry, I should have listened…" Draco opened his eyes and gave Harry a tiny smile, speaking in gasps.

"I asked for…the water to… give you a chance…to give me the… potion." His smile turned to a grimace and he forced himself to turn over onto his stomach, his jaw set against making the tiniest sound.

"Just because you gave me the chance didn't mean that I should have done it, I just wanted to make you better. I thought it would help…" Harry's own voice was catching now but he choked back the tears and refocused on Draco. He was trying so hard to not make a sound, but already his resolve was failing against this particular wave of heat.

_No that I've fucked up it's my complete responsibility to somehow make this better, make him better. _

"If you have to scream and are too proud to do it, try a pillow. Trust me, great stress reliever." Harry whispered into his ear, rubbing his back under the black t-shirt in small circles and holding his holding onto his hand as Draco tried to squeeze the life out of it.

Evidently his pride was too high to give up so quickly, but within a minutes time he had to give up and scream a muffled bloody murder into the pillow beneath his face. Harry had to blink away tears as he continued to rub his back and hold his hand, guilt ripping through him like a not knife through butter.

Draco turned his face back sideways on the pillow, his own tears leaking out of the sides of his tightly closed eyes. He whimpered only once before biting his bottom lip, screwing his face up again.

"I'm so, so sorry Draco. I didn't mean for this to happen, I truly didn't. I just fuck everything up; I never make the right decision. I'm sorry…" He lightly kissed his forehead, and settled back on the edge of the bad.

_This potion wont let up for who knows long, and it's only noon…_

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**A/N: **Feel free to drop me a line,

mintapotter


	18. Danger Among Us

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

**WARNING:** SLASH and references to self harm & abuse. **Guy/Guys!** If you no likee, you no readee.

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**Chapter 17 – Danger Among Us**

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"Draco? Draco, you awake?" Harry's voice was terribly hoarse and sore from so little sleep and so much sobbing. He had spent one of the worst nights of his life with Draco at his bedside, occasionally visited by Ron or Hermione asking if he needed food or any help before they slid back out of the room. The truth was that neither of them enjoyed being in the room for long periods of time because it frightened them that they would have to help out with Draco, or that they would have the have a dreaded talk with either of the boys.

"Yes. I'm awake, but I'm going back to sleep for a little while and advise you to do the same. You look of death." Draco turned towards Harry and gave him a half-hearted smile. His own normally crystal clear grey eyes were bloodshot, his clothes crumpled and crinkled from living in them for two days straight. He eyed himself up and down, then did the same to Harry and smiled a little wider. "Actually, we both look like death so it'd do you some good to take a shower so I can have one later. Then we can deal with the houses residents, and the world at large. But let me sleep for a little while, ok?" Draco pulled Harry down for the tiniest of kisses, then rolled over and sighed, forcing himself back to sleep.

"Sure. Be back when I'm done to wake you, ok?" Harry leaned over to see if Draco had heard him but he was already fast asleep.

_Alright then. I've got an hour to myself to shower and maybe even choke something down. Then I can deal with everyone, give my own confession about my Uncle and help Draco with the media and the house residents. But I still have an hour to myself._

He walked a little aimlessly through the house, hearing snoring through most of the doors he passed. Ginny appeared unexpectedly through her bedroom door, seeming to jolt a little bit at seeing Harry walking by.

"Morning Ginny. What woke you?" She ignored him and looked up and down the hall instead, apparently searching for someone else.

"Hermione and I haven't seen Minta back around for a while and I thought she had come back to bed. Mum went to look for her last night but since she's still not back…" Ginny trailed off, and then shrugged her shoulders. "No big deal. She probably ran away or needed some time alone." She smiled at Harry, then falling into a huge yawn, causing him to yawn as well.

"What are you doing up so early its only," she turned back into her room to inspect her bedside clock, "4:45 in the morning. Shouldn't you be sleeping?"

Harry shrugged at the question, turning to continue up the stairs. "I actually haven't slept. I thought of taking an early shower and eating a bit before the morning rush, gathering my thoughts." She nodded at him and returned to her bedroom, leaving Harry to continue his trek upstairs.

_Perhaps a little time in a nice hot shower will wake me up, maybe soothe some sore muscles…_ Harry was near drooling at the mere thought of a nice hot shower, already imagining how good it would feel to be clean fresh again. As he passed by the closet he had hidden in only days ago he barely noticed the dark stain on the carpet until he stepped into it and noticed that it was still wet.

_What in the hell…_ In the dark he couldn't make out what the stain was, but as soon as he opened the closet door to investigate he wished that he had never even checked.

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"What's going on in here? What all the … oh Merlin…" Lupin covered his mouth in horror, rushing forward to check on the slumped over Mrs. Weasly from falling out of the closet.

"Professor Lupin, I'll get Dumbledore here, fix this all up? I need to, get away for a moment…" Harry was already feeling dizzy, his stomach turning flip-flops over what he had last seen. He began to stumble away, back towards the stairs and away from the disturbing scene behind him.

"Harry what's going on? We heard you scream and… what's wrong with her?" Ginny and Hermione stopped to ask a very queasy Harry questions only for a second before pushing past him to help Lupin in the hallway.

Mrs. Weasly appeared to be asleep, or in some sort of a coma, stuffed into the bottom of the hallway linen closet. Her mouth had been covered with strips of a white cotton sheet, somehow drenched in still fresh blood. Harry couldn't compute what had happened, couldn't understand what was going on.

_She's been in there since… last night? Who did this, why… Minta? Would Minta do this? Why would she do this? Where is she, how did this happen? Is she hurt too?_

Harry's brain randomly spit out questions to which he had no answers as he stumbled down the stairs, pushing past the hoards of people trying to get past him. They all asked questions, all wanted to know why he had screamed. He only shook his head blankly, trying to get away, get Dumbledore.

_Dumbledore can fix this; he can figure it all out. He can deal with everybody, I still need my hour…_

Harry shuffled past Draco's closed door just as it was whipped open, Draco clutching the doorframe to remain upright.

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"Harry? What's wrong, what's happened?" Draco leaned against the doorjamb, still too tired to stand or let alone walk long distances alone.

"I found Mrs. Weasly in the upstairs cupboard. There was blood on the floor, and on the sheets in her mouth. We need Dumbledore, and we need to find Minta. Can you help me do those things? Please?" Draco half-scoffed, still in a little shock over Harry's tale.

_What in the flying fuck is going on in this house? Is she dead, is she just hurt? Is Harry just hallucinating?_

"Can I help you? I can barely walk, let alone do anything useful." Harry nodded as though in a daze, shuffling off towards the kitchens. Draco instantly regretted what he had said, and called him back. "Harry! Harry, sorry about that, I'm still half asleep! Of course I'll help you out!"

He hobbled off to catch him, holding onto paintings, tables and chairs to keep his balance. Harry's head had disappeared into emerald flames in the fireplace by the time Draco arrived, most likely talking with Dumbledore about the newest tragedy at the Place. Draco collapsed heavily into a chair, sighing and rubbing his temples with complete exhaustion.

"As soon as this is all over, I need a complete week of un-interrupted rest…" he muttered to himself as a very loud and raucous crowd joined him and Harry in the kitchen. Amazingly, Mrs. Weasly was at the very front, walking unaccompanied and apparently in good health. Harry pulled himself out of the fire just in time to watch them all arrive, every Weasly clan member with crazy morning hair and death-breath, but completely fine.

"Mrs. Weasly, weren't you just...?" She only laughed a little at Harry's bewildered face as she took a seat, aided by her husband.

"I'm completely fine dear! Not that I remember anything since yesterday's…inquiry, but I feel completely fine!"

Harry still looked from person to person for an answer to explain how any of this was possible, which Lupin gratefully supplied.

"It seems that it was only a superficial cut on the lip that was bleeding a little profusely from some sort of venom that wouldn't let the cut heal, but nothing too damaging. It sure looked terrible, but in all reality it wasn't a thing to worry about. A quick spell or two between me and Hermione and everything was cleared up." Everyone took seats and made themselves comfortable around the table, leaving Harry a little confused.

_Venom? Like a snake? That was what happened to Mr. Weasly all that time back! No, a snake can't gag someone's mouth though… It was something smarter, something almost human but not quite…_

"What was it then Professor? If it did this to Mrs. Weasly then… has anyone seen Minta?" At his question everyone simply shrugged as they had for the past 2 days, until it dawned on them exactly what his question meant.

"Oh Merlin! I haven't seen her since…" Fred turned to George, Charlie to Bill and so on around the table, everyone repeating the same basic thing.

"We've got to find her! Something's in the house that nobody knows about, and it probably has her! We should split up and scour every room, top to bottom." Harry was only just getting into his search and rescue plans when Dumbledore arrived through the fireplace behind him, and with a wave of his hand silenced the room.

"That, Mr. Potter, would be least advisable. I am in complete assurance to you that Minta is in no danger. In all reality," he gazed at the room, "all of you are what I am the most worried about at this moment. I will go and find her myself, and I strongly advise it that none of you leave this room until I return."

With that Dumbledore swept out of the room, a whooshing sound and a click resounding in the kitchens as the door locked shut behind him.

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	19. Goodbyes Aren't Easy

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

**WARNING:** SLASH and references to self harm & abuse. **Guy/Guys!** If you no likee, you no readee.

**A/N:** Lyrics from 'Goodnight, Goodnight' by Hot Hot Heat.

The date (in the story) is still July 4th.

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**Chapter 19 – Goodbyes Aren't Easy**

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_This isn't goodnight, this is goodbye..._

_- Hot Hot Heat_

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"Can anyone explain to me what is going on? So far I get that Mrs. Weasley was found in a closet but she's fine, and Minta has disappeared. Oh yeah, and Dumbledore seems to make it out that she's some huge danger to us all. Can anyone fill me in?" Draco spoke up first after Dumbledore's dramatic exit, speaking the question everyone was yearning to ask.

"I don't think any of us has a single clue." Ron replied tiredly. "All I know is that I hope it's sorted out soon so I can go back to sleep."

Everyone nodded in agreement; blowing the time until Dumbledore hopefully arrived with Minta in tow and provided a very understandable explanation for everything.

This was exactly what they weren't going to get.

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"To everyone, I must begin with the fact that I am very sorry. I never wanted anything ill to come of my living here; I wasn't expecting any of this to happen."

Minta and Dumbledore had entered the kitchen solemnly, side by side faces grave with importance. Dumbledore hadn't had the chance to speak yet, so with Minta's own acceptance of guilt the room noticeably quieted. Anger seeped into the air, curses thrown at her through people's eyes.

_They need to know the truth before I inevitably have to go! Dumbledore might like things under wraps, but it kills me to keep them all in the dark. They deserve an explanation to all this madness._

"Minta, an explanation will be very necessary here, and I will not dump that responsibility onto your shoulders. It will only be a few minutes." She nodded and sat to the side, allowing him to take the stage.

"You must all first understand that yes, Minta is technically the cause of Mrs. Weasley's injuries. But she has _not_, been herself for the past few days, and mean this in a literal sense." Harry shook his head in disbelief, not understanding what Dumbledore was trying to get across.

"So she changed into something else? Please explain this…" He rubbed his temples, the possibilities of the situation overwhelming.

"Not something Harry, someone. Minta is the same girl you have known the entire time you have lived here, but she has… a gift or a curse, depending on how you look upon it. Minta, in the state of mind she is in now is good. Her heart is pure; her wants and needs not tainted by any evils. She has a sense of people, a sense of where therir own hearts lay. Whether they have tipped the scales towards evil or good, dark or light. Her other half isn't nearly as," he paused to think, "nice in how she gets that information."

_That sure is a very sugar-coated way of putting it._

"What other half? What are you talking about?" Harry was impatient now, angry that this information had been hidden from both him and the residents of the Place for so long.

"Her other half is called the Slynth." Everyone but Harry gave a collective shudder, not unlike when Voldemort's own name was said. Harry looked around him, and then gave Dumbledore wide eyes, asking for an explanation.

_Oh, here it goes. Now not a single one of them will trust me, I'll be lynched and mobbed before I even get to the door._

Minta squirmed a little in her chair, afraid of they're reactions.

"Don't worry so much dear." Dumbledore whispered to her. "They're reasonable people here." He turned back towards the table.

"The Slynth, Harry, is an evil spirit. Mostly it is spoken of as in a house-witches tale, something to scare young children and keep them in line. It is very much like the Bogeyman for Muggles, only it is very real and very powerful. The Slynth is an entity, a spirit that can switch bodies or hosts at any time. Currently, actually for nearly her entire life, Minta has been cursed with it. It has gone through her family for hundreds of years and-"

"Ever since that day. When they all died." Hermione whispered beneath her breath. Her eyes lit up the way they did when she finally figured out a puzzle or understood a question. "Now it all makes sense."

_Bingo._ Thought Minta.

"Hermione can probably take over from here. Any discrepancies will be fixed, although I am sure that you will explain it all very properly. I must leave however," Dumbledore nodded at Minta to rise, "with Minta to pack. We will return very shortly." They left quietly, leaving everyone's attentions now on Hermione.

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"It all makes perfect sense now that I think of it. Her being an orphan and her entire family being killed, the house elf treating her like royalty… It all makes perfect sense…" Hermione was lost in thought, too into her own mind to notice the stares pointed at her.

"What Mione, what makes perfect sense?" prodded Ron, leaning in closer to her.

_I could really get used to Ron being closer to me… Stay focused! Think about the task at hand!_

"Well… think about it. She's an orphan because of some great big family tragedy when she was young. It was a huge story at the time. The Malise family was actually Wizarding royalty, very wealthy and staunch opposition to V-V-Voldemort." Hermione still stumbled around the word, taking time to adjust to saying it.

"They were ambushed by Death Eaters at some family function, an actual member of the family being a traitor and organizing it. Everyone was killed, except for a baby. Parents stunned it so the Death Eaters would pass over it, which they did. Was really famous until, well, Harry came along." Harry blushed a little at this, biting his lower lip against an angry retort to her.

_That'll really piss him off inside for me saying that, but it's the straight truth. They were the talk of the town until a bigger story came along. The bigger story namely being Harry Potter._

"Anyways, one of the men in the family carried the Slynth, and since the baby was the only living human being left in the house after the massacre, it assimilated into it. Was a huge front page story of the times, I read about it while researching in the library. And I suppose that that baby grew up into Minta, the one and only." Anyone in the room old enough to remember the story reminisced back to the times of terror, when happenings like that were weekly, daily even. Everyone too young to remember tried to imagine how terrible that would be, how startlingly simple and yet so evil a thing could be carried out within a family.

"But what exactly does the Slynth do? Scare people? Eat them? I just don't get what's so scary about it." Harry was still trying to piece together the missing part of the puzzle, trying to assemble it into a full picture.

"Excellent question Harry. I'm sure Minta won't mind answering it." Dumbledore and Minta both near silently re-entered the room, her solitary bag trailing mid-air behind them.

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"The same things that make my powers good are what make it evil. It's strong, strong enough to take down grown men. It has venom to bite with, to incapacitate anything that it finds bothersome. It finds pleasure in climbing walls and hiding in shadows, with messing with people's minds and decisions. It drinks blood to understand a person, or just for fun. It's evil embodied, basically." Minta shrugged it all off, maintaining a façade of non-caring about the subject.

"It? Aren't you it? One and the same, the same mind and body?" Harry kept pushing her for answers, suddenly wanting to know everything about her.

_Won't you ever let this go? Dumbledore and Hermione both explained it to you, do you need to know everything?_

"I… I change I guess. I look the same, but people say that the eyes are different. I speak and eat with the same mouth, if it really wanted to it could pass as me for a while. But eventually some evil tendencies will take over, and its cover is blown." Minta paused and thought for a moment, twirling a curl around her finger. "But we are two very separate things. Something really traumatic has to happen to set me off enough to give up control to it. If I get really angry, or sad, or in a lot of pain than my mind can't compete with it. I guess that happened a while ago, and it got away with it until you found Mrs. Weasley. It probably only was afraid that you'd tell others, so it used a tad of venom to get you out of the way. I am very sorry about that, I really am." Minta looked remorseful, utterly sad and depressing to watch. Her shoulders were slumped, her posture reading defeat.

"Anything I said to you in the past day or two, forget it. It wasn't me. I don't remember."

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"_**I'll give you some advice. Whatever it is that you're debating, just do it and stop debating. Makes life easier, huh?"**_

Harry ran the words through his head again and again, angry that he had every listened to them.

_She's the fucking reason the Draco can still barely walk around on his own! She knew what I was thinking, she could tell what decision was good and what was bad! She knew!_

Harry knew that being angry at Minta would get him nowhere, since it wasn't really her that had said the words. But he couldn't help but feel anger at her, like if she hadn't changed over in the first place, none of this would have happened.

"Well, I'd better be going. Thank you all for allowing me to stay this long, but I obviously am still a danger to the world at large, so I must be off. Ministry'll probably send me to a Muggle loony bin. Again." Minta acted mock-cheerful as her charmed bag floated behind her, approaching the fireplace quickly.

"Wait. Won't you please tell us what we are? Rather or not we have a tendency towards evil or good. You've lived with us long enough to know." Harry spoke up the moment before Minta's hand touched the Floo powder, the moment before her freedom.

She noticeably tensed, then took a deep breath, relaxed, and turned back to face them.

"I suppose I can. You all are of pure hearts basically, there are no traitors here. And funny you should ask Harry, because I have a special reading for you."

She walked silently over to where he sat, bent low and whispered into his ear. It appeared playful, maybe even a little mischievous, but Harry's face read that it was anything but. His mouth descended into a thin line, his face blanching slightly as she continued to whisper. She soon finished, and offered her a small smile.

"Don't worry too much about it. It's not set into stone, it's just the facts." He nodded back, his face blank and his mind a million miles away.

"Yeah, fine, sure. Good luck and all with the Ministry." Everyone else offered they're sleepy wishes of good luck, Hermione and Ginny even sharing a hug. Then, Minta was gone along with Dumbledore, and the Place sat in wonderment.

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"What did she tell Harry? Do you think that he's-" Fred started.

"Evil? No way! But maybe he has-" George continued.

"A tendency?" They both spoke together. "Nah."

"Well it's got to be something good, Harry looked about to keel over." Added Ron, walking with his twin brothers back upstairs to bed. "I mean, he barely concentrated enough to held Draco back to his room. I'll ask him later, after he's absorbed it."

Ron continued to ponder this all the way until Harry reentered they're newly re-shared bedroom, silently plopping into bed and slipping back into sleep with a word.

_After he understands it. If it really were that bad, why'd she tell him? As a warning? Can a tendency towards anything really be changed?_

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"Harry, you know what I'm going to ask. Just tell me." Draco was stiffly trying to arrange himself under his blanket, his muscles burning from the short walk to and from the kitchen.

"Let's say I don't know what you're talking about, and I don't want to talk about it." Harry got up and huffed off towards the doorway. Draco didn't have enough energy to reach out for his hand, but couldn't just let him get away so easily.

_I can't let him go all doom and gloom on himself again! He needs to learn to talk with people, to talk to them about his problems! Even if he is the fucking wonder boy of the world, he still has some major issues to discuss, I when I feel like talking, people talk._

"Harry, please tell me what she told you. Let me analyze you for once." He stopped just short of shutting the door behind himself, only his black silhouette visible in the doorway.

"She said 'You have a great tendency towards good deeds and acts, but have a nearly greater capability of enormous evil. You must consciously choose every time, lest you fall onto the wrong path'. That's what she told me." He whispered, then closed the door softly and left Draco to ponder it.

_You've got more to you than meets the eye Mr. Potter. Good thing the hero tendencies are greater. Hope it stays that way for a long time to come though…_

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Please review,

mintapotter...


	20. Memories

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

**WARNING:** SLASH and references to self harm & abuse. **Guy/Guys!** If you no likee, you no readee.

**A/N: **The dates in this story are July 5th (6th and 7th)

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**Chapter 20 - Memories**

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For days everyone in the house had nothing to do but look after themselves, tie up loose ends and get back into a semi-normal setting of life.

Harry spent the majority of his days with Draco, creating a barrier between him and the outside world. Acting as Draco's wall was draining enough however, so much that some days he felt like he needed his own.

"Just one more bite." Harry murmured at every meal with Draco, sitting with him for hours afterwards under the pretence of 'talking' or 'just wanted to play a game of chess'. They both knew that this was Harry's way of looking after Draco, his only outlet in feeling that Draco was in fact getting better.

"Draco, I have to warn you before you read this." He had warned before Draco snatched a copy of the Daily Prophet from him hands. The two huge pictures on the page were Draco, his Mother and Father at a family gathering nearly a year ago. The headline read '**Malfoy's Publicly Disown Son – Secrets and Story of the Year**'. Below was an explanation on the disownment, the officiality of it and quotes from his parents. After that was a play by play analysis of Draco's interview with about his Father, continuing on pages 2,3 and 6. Draco dropped the copy after reading only the headline and cried. Harry was pretty sure that the tears didn't stop for 2 days, but his mind wasn't to be trusted too much anymore.

"It's not real, it is NOT real…" he would whisper to his own ears when he awoke suddenly in a cold sweat. Night filled his mind with nightmares of him committing terrible things, doing ghastly acts. Harry Crucio-ing people and laughing while doing it, killing unknowns and classmates with a smirk set in place. Burning the Place out of spite, cursing Ron or Hermione and sometimes even Draco for fun. His mind couldn't help but dwell on Minta's last words.

_I'm capable of terrible things. I can commit terrible acts. I have the ability to become a truly evil person. Why me? Can I really, can I change? Am I already too far gone, when will I get there, if ever?_

Harry didn't sleep well for days, his mind too preoccupied with terrors at night and Draco's depression and pain during the day. He nearly completely forgot about the inquiry about his Uncle until only hours before. It went much more orderly than Draco's had because the Veritaserum had no ill effects, and he put up no resistance to it. He told the story to a solitary Ministry official without any questions being asked, from beginning to end with no emotional outbursts or breakdowns. It was all over within an hour, and after that he felt like he finally had everything out in the open. Truth was that he was sick of dealing with the entire thing, sick of re-telling the story, of remembering everything that had to do with the Dursleys… he just wanted everything to end, to get back to his holidays.

"I don't want to speak to you." He had told Dumbledore after the inquiry, walking calmly away and hiding in his room with Ron, passing the time until he left by losing abysmally at Wizards chess numerous times. As soon as Dumbledore left however all Harry could think of was how he wished he had told the old man exactly what was on his mind, why he staunchly refused him as company.

_How can I ever fully trust him again after putting us all in danger like that? How can i live in this place, at Hogwarts, anywhere if I can't even trust him? How can trust anyone with my life when I can't even trust him?_

"Thanks for the invite but watching paint dry would seem much more interesting." He had told Ron and Hermione on the third day after Minta's departure. They were always off working on some school project or another, Hermione coaxing Ron at meals that the extra marks were worth the effort, which it would all pay out in the end. He grumbled a lot, shooting me looks of 'save me' but he had enough on my plate as it was and he knew that enjoyed being with her, even if neither of them had enough guts to ask the other out.

"Promise you won't secretly try anything on us, alright?" He told Fred and George every time they emerged from their bedroom with evil grins planted on their faces. They were constantly huddled in their upstairs room, creating new concoctions for their shop. It was going amazingly well, creating huge profits that they spent and saved wisely. Some was just for fun spending, some went to projects for the Order, some saved for the future and some into new inventions. They were brilliant at what they did, and luckily Mrs. and Mr. Weasley had come to terms with their choice of employment.

Harry wasn't sleeping much, but Draco was slowly getting more and more. Harry wasn't eating like he should have while Draco was nearly at a normal level. Harry wasn't exactly happy with the state of his growing relationship but Ron and Hermione were happier than ever. Harry suffered little by little every day and night while everyone around him seemed to be gaining.

_Is it sad that I consider these few days peaceful and happy in comparison to my last few weeks?_

He shrugged and turned over to another night of restless sleep, to awake for another day of helping everyone but himself.

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"Harry?" Draco whispered softly in Harry's ear, shivers running up and down his back.

_Mmm, maybe he likes that. Note to self: whisper in Harry's ear as often as possible._

"What is it?" Harry turned slowly away from staring vacantly out the front room window, his head cocked to the side and looking cuter than ever. The hours after every meal were time for just the two of them, a time Draco felt should be used more productively.

"How do you feel about some shopping soon? We've nothing much fruitful to do here, and I consider it relaxing. Plus I promised you I would take you a long time ago, seeing as you are in desperate need of some new glasses."

Harry smiled and shaked his head at that. "I actually am looking forward to it. You can rub some of your impeccable Malfoy style on me." Draco smiled and punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Let's talk to Hermione and Ron about it, tell them we should all go school shopping together. Dumbledore will give us the list early and we can-" Harry gets up to ask Ron and Hermione, but Draco breaks in to complain.

"Don't ask them now! They're doing some really boring extra point project for school and if we walk in Hermione will just force us to do too! I like it here, just you and me for a while." Draco smiled sweetly at this, looking for one of the first times in his life embarrassed at his own words.

_Why the fuck am I blushing? Why do the gods of blushing like a pathetic schoolgirl always rear their ugly heads when Harry's around?_

"Funny, I was thinking the same thing…" Harry trailed off quietly, sitting next to Draco on the long red velvet couch. He trailed his fingers alongDraco's jawbone, taking a good look intohis stormy grey eyes before leaning in for a soft kiss.

Draco couldn't help but kiss back, then pulled himself away from the embrace.

"What if someone catches us? What if they walk in?" Harry eyed the door, making it magically swing closed with a satisfying click, the sound of the deadbolt in it locking.

"I'm sure they won't."

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"Won't what? You have to promise me Ron!" Hermione sat back on his bed, face flushed and shining. Their quills and parchment had been long forgotten on the floor, neglected after only a few quickly written sentences and many well places looks between the two.

"I won't tell Harry anything. At all. I promise. Now can we get back to…" he leaned into her again, his kisses making her giggle and pull away.

"You are the most desperate teenager ever Ron, do you know that? I could get you to do anything to just be around me, couldn't I?"His laugh is low andunbearably sexy to Hermioneas continued his kissing adventure on her cheeks, nose, forehead and neck.

"I'd do anything for you just to be around you Hermione. I always will, that's something I can really promise." She blushed awkwardly, a genuine smile spreading across her lips.

"It's not that I want to hide us from him or anything just, within the house, with your family…" she paused to kiss his back, pushing his red hair away from his eyes. "And he's been worried silly over Draco lately, so I just don't want him to worry or feel left out or anything. OK?"

"Absolutely. I get it Hermione, I get it. Now let me…" their lips meet again and this time Hermione doesn't giggle but nearly lets herself moan with the desperation of it all.

_How is he so fabulously talented with that tongue? Every girl and boy I know would only be so lucky to spend a minute with him like this…_

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"Harry, where did you learn to use that tongue of yours?" Draco grinned mischievously from ear to ear, his hair mussed from Harry's roaming hands.

"Not anywhere really. Just another of my amazing talents I suppose. Among being amazingly good looking and intelligent, as well." Draco laughed as Harry moved back up to him, his hands moving down from Draco's baby soft hair to his smooth skin, holding his neck and face close.

_How is…_

"… anything made so perfect?" he whispered out loud into Draco neck, turning his entire body toward him to be closer.

"What was that?" Draco mumbled back, slowly arcing his way to lying down on the couch with Harry lying almost completely on top of him, supported only by his knees and hands.

"I asked how is anything made so perfect'. One of many things I think about you daily and I guess I let it slip." His green eyes looked a little scared to Draco, like he expectedhim to laugh at him or mock his words. Draco only smiled more and whispered 'thank you' before pulling Harry back down onto his lips.

_And soft, and smooth, and talented…_

The kisses which started off soft and light enough quickly become more and more heated, little moans escaping both of them before they even know it. After days without any physical contact the entire experiencewas like an overload of happiness and overdue fulfillment.

Harry's weight hovered just barely above Draco now, he keeping up with his knees and elbows. His hands roamed about inDraco's hair, his face buried in Draco's.

"Mmm, and smell so delicious…" the velvety vanilla scent is always lingering on Draco, a smell Harry has come to love and ache for whenever Draco isn't around.

"Harry, stop for a second…" Draco mumbled into his sweater shoulder, the distance that was comfortable moments ago feeling claustrophobic in a heartbeat.

Harrysomehow missed his muffled voice, continuing to kiss his jaw and neck, wanting more and more. Draco fingers curledinto his palms, feeling trapped with nowhere to go.

_"Your mother bought you this perfume today. I like this one, it suits you."_

"It's perfect for you, for light and delicate and… heavenly…" Draco craned his neck away from Harry's touch and suddenly his mouth that was so good moments agowas distressing him, everywhere it shouldn't be.

_"Father, tell Mother I like it and that I thank her whenever you see her next. Now I need to study, so if you could leave my room please..."_

"_I could think if much better things to do than to leave, considering your abysmal grades compared to that Mudblood girl again…"_

"Stop it, Harry…" Draco barely squeaked out the words, Harrylost completely in Draco's soft skin, feeling it tighten beneath his fingers.

"Stop, stop, stop…" he whispered desperately, his face arched away, eyes tightly closed.

"What… Draco what's wrong? What did I do?" Harry pulled himself up, still staddling Draco a bit. "Tell me what I did wrong, I'm so sorry Draco, I am so very sorry…" he slid off the couch and knelt beside it instead, brushing Draco's hair with the tips of his fingers. Draco's eyes fling open; his tiny hands previously covering them slapping Harry's away.

"I said STOP! DON'T TOUCH ME! GET AWAY, DON'T TOUCH ME!" He yelled, pulling away from his onto the far side of the couch; his knees furling up untilhe was tight in a little ball.

_Stop, stop, stop… no more, when I say stop everything is supposed to STOP…_

"Draco, I'm sorry, I don't know what I did, I…" Harry's voice breaks off, his throat tight and straining to even make words. He felt torn between wanting to hug Draco close and ask his what is wrong, to try and make things better or to leave him be, to let him calm down. It killed him to watch him all alone, but when he goes to just hold his hand it is angrily swatted away.

"Just leave ok, just leave me alone? Don't touch me, just go away…" Draco spatthe words out between hard sobs, tears making identical streaks down his pale face.

"I, I didn't mean to… I'm sorry…" Harry backed away until he reached the door, sliding down the length of it rather than leaving.

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"I can't leave you alone like this, I have to at least keep watch just in case… I'm here if you need me." His voice finally failed i any attempts of sound, feeling sore from holding back every tear that has welled up inside him.

_I am so, so sorry Draco, I would never mean to hurt you. I would NEVER hurt you, not ever in a million years would I intentionally cause you pain… why is that whenever I hurt people I don't mean to? Why do I fuck up those I hold dearest, why?_

"Just…it's not your fault. It really isn't." Harrywas drawn back to reality by Draco's tiny voice, the blonde rubbing tears from his face with a pristine white handkerchief. His eyeswere tinged pink and puffy, a look he wished he could hide from Harry.

"Can you just hold me and not do anything but that for a little while? Just that, nothing more?" he asked a minute or so later.

Harry only nodded and walked over, slowly letting Draco unfurl himself from his ball and cradle into Harry's arms. A fresh onslaught of tears fought their way down his cheeks, Harry's first instinct to kiss each one away.

"Can I at least wipe your tears away?" he asked quietly, Draco nodded and slipped his head into the hollow between Harry's head and shoulder. He wiped each cheek with his thumb, extra delicate like he might break the bones if he tried anything too hard.

"It's not your fault. I don't know why I think that way around you…" he trailed off, nestling closer into Harryafter pullinghis legs up close to him, leaning them on his torso.

"Can I rub your hair?" Draco sniffled and nodded, feeling comforted and not scared at allwhen Harry's hands softly stroked his hair, everything soft about his touch and words.

_I need to be gentler, more intuitive. I need to be able to control everything I do, to make sure that I can't possibly hurt Draco. I need to be more careful…_

"I still feel bad, even if you don't blame me. It was my fault, even though I didn't mean for it to happen. I'm sorry Draco, I hate to see you cry."

"It's not your fault, and it's not really mine either. Truth told all around, it's my Fathers fault, but he's already being punished for that. I just need time, just give me some time." He curled into Harry, his breathing calmer and his muscles loose as they melt back together.

"I've got all the time in the world Draco," Harry whispered, kissing the crown of his head so lightly that he could barely register they were ever there, "I've got all my life to help you get better, to make you happy. All the time in the world."

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Please review!

mintapotter


	21. Shopping Therapy

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

**WARNING:** SLASH and references to self harm & abuse. **Guy/Guys!** If you no likee, you no readee.

It is now July 8th

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**Chapter 21 – Shopping Therapy**

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"Harry. Haarrry. You awake?" Harry awoke slowly the following morning, rubbing sleep out of his eyes and yawning forcibly before he was able to comprehend anything of importance.

"You know what today is?" Draco smiled at this question, like he is bestowing a great gift upon Harry just by telling what today was.

_You know what a great gift would have been? Another 4 hours of sleep…_

"I don't know… sleep in day?" Harry shrugged, going to grab for his glasses and realizing quickly that they were _still_ not there.

"No silly," Draco stood dramatically and rolled his eyes, "today is… shopping day!" His whole face lit up as if this is the biggest thing since sliced bread.

"Oh, Wow. Shopping day. Yippee." Harry managed this much before yawning again, sending Draco's happy mood over the edge and into angry.

"Well, even if you're not looking forward to it _I_ won't let _your_ bad mood rub off on me. I am looking forward to it and therefore, so should you." He grabbed the blankets from the bottom of the dingy cot and swiftly ripped them off and dropped them into a heap at the foot of the bed.

"Hey! I was using those! Now I'm cold…" Harry rolled over to exaggerate his point of not getting up, if not only to piss off Draco further.

"Get up you lazy sack of nothing, we have a full day ahead. Ron's even up already, and _I_ made _coffee._ With my own hands, and _no_ help." He smiled again, cheerful at this the way a four year old is about making a macaroni tie. "And trust me," he took a swift look at the door before bending down and kissing the back of Harry's neck, "it is sinfully delicious coffee." He kissed the same spot again, making Harry shiver against his own wishes.

"Well…" Draco held his breath expectantly, "if you made the coffee I might as well get out of bed and have a cup. And then I also might as well go shopping all day…" Draco ripped him from bed before he could even take back the promise, forcing him down stairs while still in his pajamas.

_Has Draco ever been so happy, in the entirety of my entire knowing him? I might as well keep him this way as long as possible, seeing as how few days are this great…_

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"I told you I could get him out of bed this early. 5 Galleons, right there." Fred and George give Draco scathing looks but handed over the coins silently, the bet settled without any more arguing.

"So, what exactly is the agenda for today?" Harry poured himself a cup of coffee in a goblet, twice the size of a normal mug.

"Well, school supplies in the morning, clothes after lunch and extras and frivolities in the evening. We have to stay out all freaking day because exactly how often have we been out of this house in the past while? One happy occasion? We need to milk today for all it's worth." Draco turned to Harry with a bright smile, the happiest he seemed to have been in weeks.

_Maybe I won't ruin this. I'll let the whole shopping thing go just to see him happy. Just this once._

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The closer Harry got to the stringy crowds inside of Diagon Alley the more he began to realize how difficult this simple shopping trip would be. No one had yet registered that he, Draco or anyone else was there but he knew that the moment they did, the atmosphere would change.

Draco was still overly cheery and for the first time Harry could see through the veneer of happiness and down much deeper into how he really felt. He could tell that Draco was once again acting as though it was all fine, that today would still be normal.

"Draco, can I talk to you for a second?" Ron turned around, wondering why they were splitting up so early. "We'll catch up in a second." Thankfully, Ron and Hermione turned and continued down the street, a conversation being struck up without any questioning of what Harry and Draco were doing.

"Why are you still pretending to enjoy this? We both know that everyone here knows about all of our… past problems now." Draco's smile faltered and fell, looking defeated at Harry's blunt questions.

Is it better to have the fake Draco around when he pretends to be cheery, or the depressing Draco who's real? Why do I even have to choose?

"Can't I just pretend to enjoy this for the sake of everyone else? Every storekeeper and customer here is going to look at us funny, ask questions, feel sorry. Can't I pretend to just be ok with everything, make it seem as though I'm really fine?" Harry had pulled Draco into a small alley between 'Dashers Dastardly Dung' and 'Ira's Ice Cream', both of them ignoring the mingling stench created between the two shops. They still spoke in low tones, trying not to attract any attention from passers by.

"No Draco, you can't. Look people in the eye when they stare, don't smile when you don't mean it. Don't fake things around me, I can't take it when I don't understand you. Just… stop acting and take it as it comes. Ok?" He nodded, taking a deep breath before stepping out into the street before being joined by Harry. They walked slowly along in silence before remembering they're promise to meet up with Ron and Hermione, catching them a few minutes later in a new robes shop a few small blocks down.

"Find anything yet?" Draco asked Hermione casually, the both of them ambling down the aisles, checking prices and feeling the cloth of hundreds of various robes. Harry and Ron followed less enthusiastically, wanting to simply buy them and leave.

Every robe we look at is black, so what's the difference? Only Draco could possibly fully understand all the fabrics and labels… this is his best element. 

"Can I help you… oh my!" the store owner seemed to pop out of nowhere, the look on the old witches face transforming from genial to surprised the moment she spotted Draco and Harry both there.

"No thank you, we're doing just fine." Draco continued walking along the aisle, the storeowner turning to walk away while still throwing glances over her shoulder. She actually left the store completely, walked right out and stopped the first passerby that she met. Harry watched with a tinge of horror as she pointed through the glass at his group, talking animatedly, no doubt about how she had the famous Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy shopping within her very walls.

"And there goes the entire day." Harry muttered to Ron. Draco shook his head, Hermione trying to see if there was an exit nearby at the back of the store. They all started towards the emergency exit, leaving Harry still in the aisle.

I am NOT letting other people ruin my day. From now on I won't run away, and I won't let them either.

"I didn't mean that we had to leave. I still need robes, and every single store we go into will have it's share of staring people. Let's just ignore them, all right? We can't run away everytime someone sees us. Let's just get on with the day as normally as possible."

"Sure mate. You're right anyway." Ron turned back and rejoined Harry's side, still eyeing the price tag of the robes.

"And as a catch for the day, I am getting you robes Ron. No ifs, ands or buts about it." Ron opened his mouth to combat this but Harry raised a hand to shush him. "Hey, consider it a… birthday present from me."

"OH MY GOD! We didn't get you anything! With everything that came up, Harry, I am so sorry, it's not that I forgot it's just that… oh I am so sorry!" Hermione looked as though the third world was had descended because of her and Ron completely missing Harry's birthday.

"Sorry mate… and your logic is completely fucked. How can you get me something for your own birthday, when I didn't get you anything?" Harry shrugged, pointedly ignoring the whispers of hidden faces within the neighboring aisles.

"It's makes me happier to get you something than it does for you to get me anything. So just pick a few and then let's… get some new glasses? Or… ice cream? Books?" Harry smiled slyly as at every suggestion he made a new wave of whispering began behind him, people fervently trying to decide where to head to next to catch them again.

"This can be fun…" Draco was beginning to see the fun in messing with nosy people, messing with they're minds and planting false information at every turn.

The foursome shared a single knowing smile before going wild with the minds of the whispering groupies.

"So Hermione, how far along are you?" Draco said this completely strait, not a hint of a smile on his face. Hermione was much less composed, having to breath for a moment before responding.

"Pretty far along, but I'm still not sure if it's Harry's, yours or Ron's. Or maybe none of you…" She could barely keep in the giggles, causing Harry's façade to crack. He turned away and stared a few new robes, smothering his face in them to keep from breaking completely.

"It's not mine Hermione, we all know that I'm going out with Draco." Draco's face fell in the most horrible of ways, and he was more than lucky that Hermione and Ron were too busy biting they're lips from keeping from laughing to notice. Harry felt a prickle climb up his spine, fear of Draco bursting out with something more incriminating than his 'joke'.

Please Draco, don't let them think that I'm serious. Please, don't say anything… 

"Oh yes, I forgot completely. Actually, I might not be pregnant at all. Maybe it's my twin alter ego you're thinking of…" Ron's face was bright red from holding his breath, Draco's still white as a sheet. Harry was comforted first by the thought that Draco wouldn't say anything too incriminating, then connected the dots enough to tell that Draco's silence wouldn't last forever.

He might not let it out that that was a fact, but I am in for a lashing later, I can already tell… 

"Maybe that's it… come on, let's get out of here." The only space in the store now not inhabited by eavesdroppers was the aisle in which they stood. Harry grabbed a few of the basic black robes from the rack beside them and left a small stack of notes on the floor (seeing as how it would be impossible ton reach the cash register.)

"Thank you very much, but we'll be leaving now… the moneys all here." He turned and strode out of the store without looking into the eyes of every gawker lining the exit's path. Ron, then Hermione followed with a very disgruntled Draco taking up the back.

"How about we split up for a minute? We'll go and find glasses, and you guys could pick up your books. We'll meet you in 'Flourish and Blotts' a little later." Harry suggested this simply to get away and apologize to Draco as soon as humanly possible.

"Sure, but do you really want to split up? If a mob occurs, at least we're backup." Ron asked, secretly hoping that they could so he could spend a few hours alone with Hermione.

"Yah, you'll have a better time without the fan club. We'll catch up later." They waved goodbye and started in opposite directions, Harry and Draco running through criss-crossing alleys before stopping in the same one they began in.

"Why… did you… stop here?" Harry asked breathlessly. Draco was turned away from him, checking that the coast was clear on both ends of the alley.

Like the stench wasn't bad enough the first time… 

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"What in the flying bloody fuck did you think you were doing back there? What if that gets printed, what if they had believed you, or they look for us more often?" Draco exploded at Harry as hugely as possible without screaming, as that would attract too much attention.

If he doesn't have a fucking great answer in the next few seconds, so help me god… 

"It the perfect cover up plan. I said it like a joke, so they won't believe it at all. To them it's the most ridiculous thing for me to say, so it worked. And who cares what the papers print? It's all a bunch of bullocks anyway."

Wrong. Answer.

"So, now this is all a huge joke is it?" Harry looked stunned at Draco, making him not angrier but sadder. "This is all a great huge joke to you if they think we aren't together, and you don't give a rip about how I feel with the papers! What if I care what they print about me? What if I'm not used to being the front page boy of scandal?" Draco's voice had risen dramatically and he was doing his very best not to cry or get over emotional about the entire situation.

A Malfoy does not cry or lose his composure generally. They are always in control and never show fear. If they feel it, it is expressed as outrage instead.

_Shut. Up. Father._

The internal battles still raged in Draco's head, the part of him the Harry's still couldn't see. Harry thankfully was quick on the uptake and still managed to penetrate Draco's thoughts enough to try and make him the least bit happier.

"I didn't mean to hurt you Draco, promise. And I want them to think it's a joke until we're ready to tell them the truth. I can't bear to lose them before I'm well prepared." He tugged Draco into a chaste hug, careful of the lurking paparazzi still following the duo. "And I'm used to being front page boy, as much as I hate it. I'd rather give them the information to use against me rather than let someone else make it up. And I'm sorry I didn't think of you, of how you felt when I said that." Draco turned away, arms crossed and still steaming over Harry's bad judgment.

"I guess I'll have to get used to it. Being with the Golden Boy and all." Draco allowed himself a little smile, signaling to Harry that all was well again.

"So… still up for buying me new glasses that 'flatter my face' as you put it?" Harry grabbed Draco's hand and squeezed for only a second before leaving the alley again, crossing the road and beginning they're day of shopping mania together.

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Please review (whether you like it or not) and tell me why!

luv

mintapotter


	22. Fix You

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

**WARNING:** SLASH and references to self harm & abuse. **Guy/Guys!** If you no likee, you no readee.

It is now July 9th

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**Chapter 22 – Fix You**

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_Tears stream… _

_Down your face… _

_And I… _

_Will fix you _

_- Coldplay _

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"And so now… we wait and do nothing for the last remnants of summer?"

Harry swatted a mosquito from his face lazily, his other arm draped across his chest and off the mottled green couch. Draco sat beside him, counting strands of split ends as Hermione and Ron shot each other heated looks in between sentences.

"Oh no, we have so many-" started Hermione.

"Don't even go there. For the last time, I will not do any extra credit work this summer is it kills me." She shrugged as Ron smiled at the thought of more 'extra credit' work to be done alone in her room.

"Can't we play a game? Cook, clean… something? We already went shopping and we all now that we're not leaving the house again until school starts so… any suggestions?" Hermione perked up at this and Harry quickly interrupted her. "Other than schoolwork?"

"I wasn't going to ask about schoolwork, silly. I want to give you your birthday present!" She beamed and leapt from her chair, followed more slowly by Ron.

"I told you not to get me anything Ron!" Harry moaned, still not moving from the couch.

"I know but… it was important mate and you deserve something. I'll get it and be right back." He left the room quickly as well, leaving Harry and Draco alone for the first time all day.

"I got you a little something too." Draco whispered, moving closer to Harry on the couch as soon as Ron and Hermione were safely out of earshot. "When you went to get a new quill I snuck out for a minute and bought it. It's not wrapped or anything…" Harry opened and closed his mouth quickly, anxious to accept the gift before his old friends returned.

_Even Draco is in on the 'Care for Harry' project! And he seems… flustered over it? What's come across him?_

"You know that you didn't have to…" Harry started as Draco pulled a small box from his pocket.

"I know and I got you something anyway. If you don't accept it I won't kiss you for a month so take it or pay."

_That's the old Draco I know and love._

"All right…" Harry slid closer still on the couch, the soft scent of vanilla floating tantalizingly form Draco's neck He opened the small black box to reveal a silver ring, the inside inscribed with tiny, delicate letters he couldn't fathom their meaning.

"It's gorgeous…" he murmured, slipping it on for a perfect fit before removing it again to try and decipher the inner readings. "What does it mean?"

"'_To Harry with love. Happy birthday and luck with many more.'_ It's written in Parseltogue, if you can believe they actually created letters for that language and I thought that was a nice idea for you. If you could see each little letter, you'd get it, trust me. At least that's what the dealer said. I got it done quickly, it's made to change size to fit and it's real silver, none of that tacky mixed stuff and…" Harry pressed a single finger to Draco's lips to hush him.

"You're rambling."

"Sorry."

"Don't be." Harry smiled and pocketed the ring, thinking of places to keep it close to him without raising attention from his housemates.

"I love it, and I love you. Thank you." He planted a quick kiss on Draco's lips, his tingling from the sensation.

"We're back!" Ron reentered the room only seconds later, Harry and Draco instantly parting and sitting at opposite ends of the couch again as Hermione reappeared close behind.

_I never thought I would live to see the day when I didn't want to see those two… I still want them around by why do I have to choose between them and him, my old friends and my new love?_

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"Ok, this is really overdue but it still counts… Open mine first, then Ron's…" Hermione never looked as excited as she did now, her cheeks pink and her smile genuine.

_Why can't I just kiss Ron in front of Harry rather than for the last second in the hallway? Do we really have to choose between one or the other?_

"Please tell me it's not a book Mione?" Harry pleaded as he pulled what happened to be a book from the scarlet red bag.

"Yes Harry, it is a book but not a boring one, I promise." Harry examined it for a second before his face lit up, his understanding clear.

"Wow, nice choice! Thanks Mione, I owe you!" it was the 'Quidditch Through the Ages: Second Edition'. It featured all of the newest teams and players around the world, including Oliver on page 467, as she had bookmarked. Harry gave her a quick hug and settled the book at his feet.

"I should have guessed." He smiled when saying it however, a happy look on his face for the first time in a long time. He wore new glasses (hand picked by Draco) that gave his face a distinctly different look than before. These were thinner rimmed black glasses, rectangular instead of the old round shaped. They were near invisible on his face, something you noticed last rather than first.

"Now for mine I suppose." Ron handed Harry a box, wrapped with Gryffindor gold wrapping paper. Harry tore through it quickly, anxious to get to whatever was hidden in the boxes depths.

"I had to search through Knockturn Alley to get this, and got quite the beating from Mione to prove it so you better like it." Hermione gave Ron a disapproving look but watched Harry with interest still, hiding the memory of last night behind her face.

_A beating? More like a rough version of making out on my bed for an hour, but call it what you like…_

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Harry didn't understand what the gift was until Ron explained it. It contained two identical necklaces, thin as a few hair width and light as air itself. He let the light metal float across his fingertips, amazed at how infinitely insignificant and insubstantial it was.

"They're Invisicharms, not exactly legal here but close enough to not get you into _too _much trouble with the Ministry…" Harry smiled at this, passing one to Draco to hold.

"What do they do exactly?" Harry fingered the minuscule clasp open, ready to snap it shut over his neck.

"They supposedly render the wearer invisible to everyone but it's partner, the other necklace. So if Draco and you are both wearing them…" Draco slipped his over his head and in an instant seemed gone to Hermione and Ron but shared and intensely longing grin with Harry.

"So… you can't see us at all?" Harry wondered aloud.

Hermione shook her head no, "Not a stitch."

"Wow, thank you Ron, really. That's going to be more than just useful this year, seeing as how everyone knows about the cloak."

_More useful than you'll ever, ever possibly know_.

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"I. Am. Still. Bored." Draco said each word separately, lounging across his small bed in the highest room of the house. After the small party and opening of presents for Harry, Hermione and Ron had left to do more extra credit work. This left Harry and Draco exactly as they had been to begin with, bored as hell.

"Let's play a game then." Harry shifted and lay instead on his stomach, facing Draco across the few feet of space in between the beds. They both wore the Invisicharms, just in case anything got too heated and someone sneaky happened to walk in.

"What game? I shan't play if it's stupid, you know this Harry." Harry rolled his eyes dramatically until an idea struck him.

"How bout 'I Never'? That's an easy one and it comes complete with… _prizes_." Harry said this in such an exaggerated tome that even Draco laughed a little and joined him on the single bed.

"And how might you play this game, dearest Potter?"

"Well it's quite simple really, even you'll get it." Draco smacked him lightly on the shoulder but Harry continued on anyway. "One person says 'I never…" and then they finish the sentence. If the other players have done that in particular they raise their arm and then explain it. You get a prize for every time you get the other players to raise their arm. Get it?" Draco nodded, thinking about it slowly.

"And what, may I ask, are the prizes?"

_Well my prize is getting to know you better but your prize can be…_

"How about if I get one, I can ask another question. And if you get one… you choose to do with it as you please. Sound fair?" Harry was still walking on eggshells around Draco since the incident only days ago. He was always giving Draco the option to initiate anything physical and purposefully always gave that power to his partner without demanding anything in return.

_I'm going to make this work between us if it's the fucking last thing I do. And if that means not initiating the kissing and such for a little while between us, then so it is._

"Alright, I'm in if I can start." Harry nodded and Draco continued. "I never… skinny dipped."

Harry shook his head at the question and took over. "I never… cheated on a test at Hogwarts." Draco blushed and obligingly raised his hand, recounting the tale.

"I only did in first year because it was such a big deal back then and my parents basically would look the other way if I was caught, but it was only a little test. Promise."

Harry shook it off. "I don't mind." He turned over onto his back now, the heat causing him and Draco to sweat it out on the tiny bed, facing the ceiling to invite the tiniest breeze to float across their faces. "I never… jacked off… in the past month." Draco started with only the tiniest blush but soon it spread to his neck and even he couldn't hide it.

"Fine, fine, I admit to it. You better be sure that I'll get you back for these questions later Harry." He was smiling like an idiot, shamed and amused at the same time. "It was before we got here, thank you, and I know for a fact that you did too so don't… stop laughing!" Harry was taken away was a case of the giggles, not finding the subject quite as funny as seeing Draco so embarrassed.

_If only he'd always be this open and fun! Why can't we be like this all the time, why do we have to hide so much, and for how long?_

"OK, I give up my turn for you to have one as my prize. It makes me happy to give it to you." Harry delicately intertwined his fingers with Draco's, his voice lowering down to barely above a whisper. Draco's blush had subsided but didn't fade after Harry's last comment.

"I never…lived away from home, not counting school." Harry raised his hand at this.

"I've lived here, if that counts. And at the Weasley's for a little bit at a time too." Draco shook his head, the answer too obvious.

"I never…"

"Stop." Harry turned over, staring deep into Draco's eyes for a second. "What's your prize?"

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"Uhhh…"

_Well, I'd say you but that's so damn cliched that I might puke so…_

"A kiss." Draco leaned in and pecked Harry lightly on the lips before settling back down onto the bed to think.

"I never… went to a funeral." Draco said this as something that just popped into his mind but regretted it in an instant as he watched the lines furrow on Harry's brow.

_Shit, shit and merde all over! Why am I so STUPID, could I have asked a worse question? Why did that pop out, I am terrible at this whole thing…_

"Harry, sorry it just popped out and…" Harry shook his head and cleared his throat, his eyes remaining dry and clear as he spoke.

"I've never been to one either Draco, and it's alright. You didn't realize…" he drifted off, his throat finally beginning to close up on him.

"We can stop, or change the subject?" Harry just shook his head, eyes closed tight against the waning summer light streaming in through the fake window.

"You…I… I should talk but I don't…" He bit his lip, keeping the words in and the emotions barely veiled.

_Look what you set off here Draco! A whole onslaught of shit, that's what! You ruined a perfectly safe game, fucked a perfectly normal day up into pieces! Why do I have to hurt Harry and make him think of all these things that have happened?_

"I'm sorry Harry, I just-"

"It's not your fault Draco. It's a legitimate question. It just struck me as funny as how many people I know have died and how I never got to go to the funeral and say goodbye or anything…" Draco turned to lay sideways and closer to Harry, his arm wrapped protectively around the brunettes chest. Harry absentmindedly stroked his golden hair, his voice broken and tight.

"My parents… I don't even really know what happened after they died. After Cedric I didn't go to any funeral, but I think I might have been invited. I don't remember much from then anyway. After Sirius we couldn't have one because…" his voice died as Draco shushed him, his soothing voice in Harry's ear lulling him back into the modern day rather than the deaths of his nightmares.

"Shh, it's ok Harry. They're not your fault, it wasn't you who did all this-"

"But it is," he broke in, moving away from Draco abruptly and sitting up, "It's all my fault and no, no-one will just admit it the way I do. I get it and accept it and it's like no-one else will just speak the truth."

_What is this? How can he say that and believe it, he's got to know that it's not his fault… right?_

"Harry, you aren't the center of everything." Draco meant to say this in the way that everything couldn't possibly be his fault, but in his current stress Harry took it a very different way.

"Oh, sorry for being so egocentric then."

Draco tried to butt in, "Harry, you know that's not what I meant-"

"That's _exactly_ what you meant Draco, just admit to it! I fucked up, more than once and I see that and I get it. We all do at some point, and my mistakes cost lives rather than marks on a test. I get it Draco, I see that all." He was distraught, confused and taking out all his pent up emotions on Draco instead of himself for once. "Whenever shit happens to me it's for a reason. I'm paying for all the stuff I've caused, but I'm ok with that because I know I deserve it."

"Harry, that's not how it is! You didn't deserve how you were treated no matter what you think!" This only incensed Harry more, he now standing in the room, the last rays of the afternoon sun setting him orange and yellow.

"Yes, it is true! I have to pay for what I did same as you did." Draco's blood ran cold, the chill palpable around him in a second.

"Don't go there Harry." He whispered, his voice frightened of where Harry was going with this all, and angry about what he knew was coming.

_Harry, don't go there. You don't mean this, I know it, it's just a defense mechanism or something but don't even fucking touch that subject…_

"Come on, we all know that you've done worse in your life than cheat on some test in first year! Maybe you needed to learn to defend yourself and you lost, quite obviously…" Harry's own eyes were dripping tears as Draco's filled with hot ones, full of rage at him. Even of he was upset, this was too much.

"You just couldn't say no," Harry leaned in to Draco for a second too long and Draco had a familiar flashback to a figure looming overhead, a flashback he didn't want to have.

"Harry, stop this right now…" his voice was barely registering in the warm air, his words drowned out by the fear ringing through his ears.

"You know it Draco, you didn't want it then and you don't want me now so why don't you just fight back for once?" Harry was too close, too tall and scary and too much…

"Just FUCK OFF!" Draco lashed out, hitting Harry square across the face with his open palm, the sting of skin on skin reverberating in his hand. The angry red marks appeared seconds before Harry went to cover it, too late as Draco had already seen the handprint emerge on the pale skin.

"Harry, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Harry backed away a step when Draco raised a hand to check his cheek, flinching at the move. Draco stepped back himself, knocking into the bed where the afternoon game had begun not long ago.

"Don't say that, you did mean it. You wanted to hurt me just as I wanted to hurt you. I'm sorry anyway, I wish I had never remembered anything, I wish I kept control…" Harry trailed off, every few words punctuated by a sharp intake of breath before the tears started to roll. Draco moved to sit beside him, slowly entwining their arms and resting his damp face into Harry's shoulder.

"I'm sorry too, I wish I had hadn't. We need to fix this Harry, we need to talk." Harry nodded, his breathing finally giving out into little sobs.

"Don't cry Harry, don't cry…" Draco softly wiped the tears away, the silver of his gift to Harry resting on the Invisicharms chain reflecting into his eyes.

_We need to fix this, fix each other. We need to understand everything that's going on around us before we can get anything done, before we can start this for real._

"We have a lot to talk about, and we have all summer to get it figured out. We'll make this thing work Harry, you and me. I promise, we'll fix this." Harry sighed and leaned into Draco's shoulder, his breathing returning to normal. "We need to… not mess with each others weaknesses. You've got to ask permission to do anything, I've got to control an impulse to hurt you. We need to figure all this out before we can even go any further with this. We need to fix each other…"

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Please review!

mintapotter


	23. 3 Simple Rules

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

Thank you to: **IrishEnchantress, Lucky Dragon Smile, Sango-maru, undersiege, fifespice, cithara, aishteru, ash vault rose garden, MyStOrIeS, fairytale-princess-504 & Brionyjae (as always!)**

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**Chapter 23 - 3 Simple Rules**

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"So?…" Harry asked quietly, picking at a hangnail on his thumb nervously.

"Rules Harry, we need rules. That's what we have to do." Draco fiddled with the curtains of the front rooms window, watching the simulated grass outside flutter with the fake breeze.

"And how are we setting these?" Harry replied, watching Draco from the side of his eyes.

Ever since the day before both boys had been overly stilted and nervous in conversations. The night had passed in silence, breakfast and lunch the next day difficult for the both of them. Draco was eating less from the stress; Harry worried that he might have reset the blonde's bad eating habits because of the fight from the night before.

_If I could take back everything I said and did then I would but I can't and now I've got to deal with this all. This is becoming a trend for me…_

Harry's thoughts were cut off eventually by Draco's soft voice.

"We'll write down what we both want and compare it after. That's how we'll set them." Harry was a little surprised at this offer but didn't complain or rebuke it.

"Alright. We'll compare whenever we're done then. I'll… I'll start." He hurried out of the room to grab two quills and parchment from Hermione's unusually deserted room. Only one sentence had begun on one of the pieces of parchment, the rest appeared unused even though Hermione and Ron had been working on their project for over a week. Harry took no notice however because he already had so much crowding his mind.

"Here," he placed a quill and piece of parchment near Draco, managing to completely avoid his eyes as he re entered the front room.

"Let's begin, take as long as you want." Draco took up the quill, sucked in a deep breath and began. Harry sat and watched as his blonde hair fell over his eyes, his hand racing back and forth across the page as his own remained still.

_I wonder what his'll be like. Mine will be so juvenile and useless, I can already tell…_

He took one departing look at Draco before beginning on his own list, his mind full of ideas waiting to be unleashed.

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"You… you done?" Draco's voice was so small that he thought that Harry must've missed it but he took one final look at his completed list and nodded, walking over and sitting at an awkward distance away from Draco. 

_He won't even sit near me anymore! Why are still like this? What if we can't go back to the stupid bliss we had at the beginning?_

"You want to go first, or should I? I don't care so you have to choose." Harry flicked his eyes to the window and said " You go." So that's exactly what Draco did.

"Ummm… mines kind of long but its really important stuff to me so don't get bored or laugh or anything, ok?" Harry nodded and Draco continued.

"Ok. One, you have to tell me the truth. Always, even when it's bad news or something I don't want to hear. I hate secrets so don't keep them from me." Harry looked surprised but nodded silently again, letting Draco continue his set of conditions.

"Two, you have to trust me. When I say something to you then you have to believe me, to trust that I'm telling the truth. You have to believe me that when I eat I'm keeping it down, that when I say I need some room that you'll leave me alone."

Harry was more than a little hurt that Draco would ask for these things he had once believed to be simply known conditions, but he swallowed his pleas and nodded again, letting his head bob on auto-pilot for a while.

"Three. You… have to ask permission to do anything that's… hard for me to deal with. You can't take for granted that I'm ok with any of those things. You've to respect my needs and the fact that I can't deal with anything physical until I'm ready for that. Ok?"

"Draco…" Harry's voice seemed to disappear in the humid air, the oxygen sucked out of his lungs. "I'm so sorry that I'm so shitty that you have to ask for these things. I'm sorry for all the stuff I've done in the past…"

"I know. I just need it to be official like this; I need something to count on. The rest of mine," he scanned the sheet quickly, turning it just enough for Harry to catch a glimpse of what was written on it. Every square inch was filled up with tiny words and letters, the ink smudged and overlapping in some places. "…the rest of mine aren't important. That's all that I need."

_Funny how I can think of the most childish, stupid things but when I really boil it down all I need are those three things. That's all I'll ever need I think. Well that and a house maybe some clothing and such, but that'll come in time anyway._

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"Huh, that's funny," Harry began with a choked laugh, "mine aren't so different. I just need to trust you, always. You can't lie to me about anything, no matter how hurtful or terrible it might be. You need to trust that I'll do the same. You've got to understand that I lived with my shitty family my whole life and I dealt with a lot of abuse from them and I can't take that anymore. You've got to understand that and promise me never to sink that low, even when I'm being an idiot. And," Harry breathed for the first time since the beginning of his rant " you've got to understand that my life is fucked up 99 percent of the time. There are always threats of stuff, always fights in the background, people dying or getting hurt. My mind is taken up by that all the time and I'm warning you that that's the kind of matter you'll have to deal with to be around me. I needed to warn you."

_Please, please, please be ok with that Draco! Please understand, don't let all this scare you off when I need you the very most…_

"Like I didn't already notice! I'm not expecting anything to be much easier than this summer has been. I hope it'll get easier but I'm not expecting anything. And I promise you all those things Harry, I promise."

_Thank. The. Gods._

Harry let out a strangled laugh, pure worry seeping out of him with Draco's simple reply.

"Me too. I'll never lie to you from this point on. If I ever say that I love you it'll be the absolute straight truth Draco." Draco smiled when Harry shuffled closer to him on the couch, feeling his warmth settle in beside him.

"And?…" He turned and faced Harry with a very serious face.

"What? What else am I missing?" Harry seemed so genuinely worried that Draco let a laugh escape him.

"Do you love me?" Harry sighed and let Draco pull him closer.

"Of course. And you?"

Draco smiled and kissed his forehead lightly, then his lips. He let his own linger there for a moment before pulling away to reply.

"Well no shit. I'm still here, right?" Harry shook his head at this and settled onto Draco's shoulder, content with sitting on that musty old couch forever and ever if it meant that the feelings he had at that moment never left.

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**A/N: **If I could throw this computer out a window I would. And if the internet was a solid thing, I'd burn it... Sorry for the delay, it made me as mad as it probably made you! And please, please review!

mintapotter


	24. Tattle Tale

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

**WARNING:** SLASH and references to self harm & abuse. **Guy/Guys!** If you no likee, you no readee.

**A/N:** Thank you to **HPfreakout**, **Isidoria**, **oliver1234**, **coolmarauders**, **Sango - Maru**, **earthsprite**, **My friends call me K**, **Meg Finn**, **brionyjae**, **Lucky** **Dragon Smile**, **glowingXsmile**, **MyStOrIeS**, **fifespice**, **Cithara**, **TheBonnie**, **aishteru,** and **IrishEnchantress**!

It is now July 24th in the story (one week to go till school!)

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**Chapter 24 – Tattle Tale**

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The last few weeks of summer vacation were sweeping over 12 Grimmauld Place with amazing speed. Every student in the house was eagerly anticipating the return to Hogwarts with some worry and some hope, although all for different reasons.

Ron and Hermione's 'project' was coming along quite nicely but couldn't be completely finished in her bedroom. Glances at each other in the halls, hands held under tables during meals and quick kisses stolen in intense secrecy became more and more commonplace as the days grew shorter. It was causing the both of them to ask themselves more often if they should keep it from Harry and if they did, for how long.

Harry and Draco were facing similar, yet different problems. Every moment together was a risk to be taken. The chances of others walking in on anything suspicious drove them apart at some times, while the need to talk to each other, just be together often caused them to throw caution to the wind for a few precious, stolen moments. The current moment in which they sat on Harry's cot was one of these times.

"Harry," Draco whispered, his ear pressed to the bedroom wall, "I think everyone's downstairs. I don't hear anybody near here at least."

"Well, that's a relief. I hate whispering everything, I feel like this is illegal when we do." His voice was still low enough not to be blasting words through the bedroom walls and door, but normal enough to hold a conversation.

"That's how everyone will feel when they find out, won't it? Like we should be illegal." Draco crawled nearer to Harry, lying down and resting his head on Harry's pulled up knees. "I mean, if they ever do find out."

Harry let himself laugh a little at this, stroking Draco's hair as he always craved to do.

_What does he mean 'if'? There's no if, only when…_

"We'll tell them eventually, just not now –" Harry was going to continue but it was now Draco's turn to scoff.

"Yeah, we can tell them in our will. Once we're dead I assume they can't be too angry with us!"

Harry pulled his hand away as though stricken, his body stiffening at Draco's indifferent tone.

"I thought you would want to come out eventually, just not now that everything is so crazy in our lives. We can't very well live in the closet for the rest of our lives!"

Draco turned away from Harry and sat up on the bed, his head cocked to the side as if he were examining Harry for the first time.

"I was being idealistic then, I'm being rational now. You can't function if Ron and Hermione and the Order can't help you out, that's a fact. And I'm already getting lynched in Slytherin and have been disowned so it can only get worse for me from here on in. I told you that even you don't know how much you could lose…."

Harry sat, speechless for a moment and let these words soak into his brain.

_I know that we can't now but…eventually! I can't keep secrets forever and Hermione and Ron are bound to understand eventually too…right?_

"Draco you can't be serious about never coming out. Everybody who actually cares will understand-"

Draco shook his head as though Harry was a stupid child who just didn't get something so simple.

"Parents disown their children because they're gay Harry. Those parents love their kids, right? They love them and they still won't associate with them. You don't understand that there will be people who you thought cared and who will turn on you Harry. I get that and you don't. Maybe once you're ready for that we can think about this whole idea, ok?"

_I don't get that some people won't stand by me and be ok with this? I don't get it?_

"I get that perfectly Draco and I'm still prepared to do it because I love you and I want to be with you whenever I want! Not just in minutes when no one is around! What about when we get to Hogwarts, what'll be our excuse then?" Draco was staring at his feet, tears starting in his eyes that he was determined not to let fall.

"I don't know what we'll do Harry. I don't now how long we can keep this up, this hiding. And I don't want to keep hiding forever, I want to shout that I love you from rooftops, I really do. Only it'd be so much easier to do that if I knew I wouldn't be cursed for it, you know? And maybe you keeping all your friends are worth more than keeping me around, at least for the time being…"

Harry finally clued into why Draco was so scared to tell everyone, to come out. Draco made it sound as thought he was scared for himself when really, he was scared for Harry so much more.

_He's trying to protect me._

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"Draco, are you thinking that my popularity with the wizarding world is worth more than you?"

Draco shot Harry an angry look that clearly spat 'yes'

_Of course having them on your side is more important than me at the moment! Think about yourself for once, Harry…_

"You're trying to kill Voldemort, right? You've finally got the wizarding world convinced that you're not crazy and that Sirius wasn't evil and now you're thinking of throwing that away? You need them at your side Harry! Your chances only improve if the Ministry likes you, if Gryffindor will all fight beside you, if the public will fight for you! You need all those people Harry; you can't gamble their favor of you over something as small as me! At least not now!"

Draco couldn't stand the look of disbelief on Harry's face, couldn't fathom how his raven-haired lover could be so thick. He got off the bed quickly and stared instead out the window and into the summer sunset.

"Draco, to me you are worth more than all of their opinions of me combined. You're worth it, all of it." Harry had got up to whisper into Draco's ear but he pushed him off quickly.

"You can only be with me Harry if you promise not to let anyone know until its safe. Until you can afford to make a few more enemies than you already have."

Harry shook his head in disbelief, still reeling at Draco's train of thought.

"You've got to be kidding me, that might be months, or years -"

"Promise me Harry."

"– it might not be until I'm 25 or thirty! I might die before I even get the chance to tell the world that I love you."

"Don't be a fool Harry, but promise me. You won't tell until I'm ready to let you. Until I'm ready to help you out."

Harry shook his head, pacing the room as he often did when stressed out.

"Draco –"

"Harry –"

"Fine. I promise. But if the time comes I'll ask you again, and again."

"That's fine Harry. I needed that promise though."

"I hope you're happy." Harry muttered, sitting again on his bed and flipping angrily through a copy of _Flying with the Cannons._

"Why would you say something like that? I'm trying to keep you from doing something irrational –"

Harry slapped the book shut, his voice rising slightly in pitch and volume.

"You're being a control freak, more like! You get me to make the promise, you get all the control over where and when and why!"

Draco tried to restrain himself from getting angry, he tried to stay at the window, feel the warm sunlight on his face but Harry's words had incensed his too much. He abandoned the scenery below and stalked over to stand in front of Harry.

"I need control over some things sometimes I haven't had a lot of it in my life lately, in case you haven't noticed! I need to have people I can count on; I need to have some semblance of domination about –"

"What if I decide it's a good time as any Draco? What if I want a say in –"

"Umm, sorry, we'll just…"

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Ron and Hermione walked into the upstairs bedroom to Draco and Harry mid – row, Harry staring angrily up at him from the bed and Draco pointing just as angrily from the edge of the bed.

"Umm, sorry, we'll just…"

_I feel like I just walked in on a couple's row over something only… this is Harry and Draco we're talking about, nothing like Ron and me! I hope it's nothing serious between them…_

Draco turned and looked for only a split second at Harry as Hermione grabbed Ron's arm and tried to pull him out of the room for a hasty retreat.

"Don't." Hermione and Ron both stopped in their tracks at Draco's single, venomous word and realized a second too late that it wasn't directed at them, but at Harry. Harry's mouth had half formed a word but he stopped midway to stare at Draco instead.

"Don't what?" Harry taunted back, a tiny, malicious smile tugging at his lips.

Draco's face shifted from angry to terrified for a second, then complete disgust.

"I can't believe you'd even joke, can't fucking believe you…" he shook his head at Harry and stalked out of the room in a flurry, barely noticing Hermione and Ron frozen in the doorway.

"Harry mate, what was that about?" Ron came out of the stupor first, pulling his arm forcefully from Hermione's grip in a reminder those public displays of and touching was still off limits.

"Nothing I'm allowed to talk about…" he muttered, staring at the doorway as though still supremely angry at Draco for something.

_Please don't be anything terrible, I don't think this house can deal with anything completely terrible anymore…_

"It's nothing serious, seriously. Don't worry about it you guys; Draco's just being…Draco." Harry seemed to read Hermione's mind and she nodded in understanding.

"We came up to call you two down for supper, so come on." She left the room before Ron could join her, set on not doing anything stupid to give themselves away before school started. Ron and Harry followed, both avidly discussing some new move from a Quidditch magazine.

_I wonder what's wrong with those two, Harry and Draco. Something's got to be up and I simply can't put my finger on it…_ thought Hermione all the way down to the dining room.

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"Draco, please don't be –"

"Goodnight Harry."

"Don't do this; I want to talk this –"

"Goodnight."

_Stop being the insolent prick whiny baby that I got so used to over the years! Stop and talk to me for just a second like a grown man and not a bitchy toddler._

"Draco, stop cutting me off."

Draco was silent for a moment, lying awake in his single cot, staring at the ceiling through his stormy grey eyes.

"And just listen for a moment."

Draco didn't turn away from Harry and face the wall but he didn't turn towards him either. He did however, remain silent and Harry took this as a step forward rather than a step back.

"Tonight at supper everyone noticed that we weren't getting along. Everyone knows that we're closer than they thought possible, even if they don't know why. They understand that we're friends Draco, they get that. They want us to be happy together."

Draco snorted.

"They want us to be happy _friends_ Harry, not _boyfriends_!"

Harry took a deep breath to steady himself before continuing.

"I'm just saying that the way we appear to be to them right now is only a tiny image of how we really are. I don't want people to think you're my good friend and that I like your company. I want them to know that I love you the way you know I do. I want to share that and show it to the world Draco, why can't you understand that?"

Draco shook his head and sighed deeply, his silver hair cascading and falling on his moonlit pillow. Harry thought he had never witnessed something so obliviously beautiful in his life.

"I want that too Harry, I do. But I want to be smart about it. I want to know that I'll be string enough to deal with taunting and being a cast off and all that. Once I'm back at Hogwarts I'll see how much of Slytherin will still speak to me and how much of it will take a chance of 'getting rid' of me. I'll see how the teachers are and then, maybe then I'll see if I'm strong enough to deal with any more. I need to know that for myself first alright?"

Draco voice wavered and tapered off. Harry could tell that he was getting the tightness in his throat, the burning in his eyes that he was so good at ignoring.

"Draco, can I just be with –"

"Yes." Draco whispered, turning over to the face the dingy wall and making space for Harry to join him.

_I like it when you cut me off for things that are good Draco, productive. Things that make us closer, not further apart…_

Harry let himself slowly in the bed, molding into the warm spot in which Draco had just lain. He smelled that familiar vanilla and mint and let all the anger and confusion about Draco fade away. He slowly, gingerly wrapped his arms around the blonde so that he gave him time to refuse. No refusal came however and Harry couldn't be happier to simply snuggle into his back and breath in his scent deep like it might fade within his arms if he didn't.

"You know you have to get out early in case Ron comes up." Draco whispered slowly, turning himself around to hold Harry closer to him.

"I know."

"And you know that I give you permission to do this every night from here on in, right?"

"I know."

Draco smiled because he could feel rather than see the smile that was lighting up Harry's face. He curled up into him; his face nestled in the crook of Harry's neck, the woodsy sandalwood smell helping him drift off into sleep. It was a smell that reminded Draco of comfort, of safety in a way only Harry could capture so single-handedly.

"Goodnight Harry."

"Night Draco. Sleep tight."

A light flutter of lips brushing his forehead was the last thing Draco remembered before allowing his mind to wander into his dreams of tomorrow.

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**A/N: **Please review,

mintapotter


	25. May I Love You?

**A/N: **Thank you to: **HPfreakout, Meg Finn, coolmarauders, Ranmas Angel, oliver1234, fifespice, brionyjae, Dezra, MyStOrIeS, glowingXshadow, Tara-Jamima, aishteru,fierysoulgirl, Orontelmi, myca **and **Dreaming Sensations. **

**Warning : **SLASH! LEMON! I will say no more…you have been warned!

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**Chapter 25 – May I Love You?**

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For two days and two nights after the first of Harry sleeping in Draco's bed he crawled yet again under the covers and left them and their blonde occupant alone by sunrise. Draco was comforted in knowing that Harry would go no further than to lock his arms around him, hold him close and keep him warm. But somehow, after only two nights (and with only 5 remaining until school began) Draco craved more.

Draco waited until the house was quiet, knowing that only when there was no chance of people creaking up the stairs would Harry crawl beside him. Faithful to this nightly, unspoken deal Harry dutifully slithered under them and held Draco close. This was becoming a comforting routine to him, but he didn't know that Draco had a surprise for him.

_Please, please let this go right! God, please let Harry be as trustworthy as I think he is, as he should be. Let this go right; let me be ok…_

Draco turned from back to front on his raven-haired companion and kissed his forehead as lightly as could be. In the feathery soft moonlight he could make out the trace of a smile on Harry's lips and continued his kisses down his nose and slowly, onto his lips.

"And to what do I owe the pleasure?" Harry whispered, his hands clutching the back of Draco's white button up shirt unexpectedly.

"I've been building up the courage to do that for a while now. I felt like tonight was the night." Harry's smile broadened at this, one of his hand surfacing from the blankets to brush some of Draco's silken hair from his forehead.

"No need to build up courage to kiss me Draco. You needn't ask me, even."

Draco pulled Harry deeper into his arms and carefully planned out his next words.

_They need to convey what I want and need and not be too childish or whiny or scared or I'll scare him off. How do I put this?…_

"Harry, I really want…want to make love with you. I have for a while but I have…trouble with that. I need to be able to trust you to only take it as far as I'm willing ok?"

"Of course." Draco could hear the surprise in Harry's words but plowed on with his own.

"You need to ask before you do anything and should I say no - "

"I'll stop. No questions asked."

Draco hadn't realized that his shoulders were tensed but he felt them slowly relax with Harry's words of comfort.

"And if I tell you to stop at any time, you've got to promise - "

"I'll stop. No questions asked. I promise you Draco; I won't do anything to hurt you. I never will."

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_Could something have prepared me for this, is there any way I could make him feel safer or more at ease?…._

Harry held Draco close for a moment of silence, his mind swirling with worries and thoughts of what could go wrong. He was so uncertain of what to do, to say, to answer that he decided on one thing only.

_Start simple._

"Draco, may I kiss you here?" Harry brushed his fingers on a spot in the middle of Draco's forehead and he heard a quiet 'yes' before he lets his lips brush the same place.

"Here?" he touched Draco's eyelids, forcing his eyes to close.

"Yes." Again, he kissed them slowly and carefully as though they were a thin glass that might be all too easily broken.

"Here?" His jawbone.

"Yes."

"Here?" his collarbone.

"Yes."

"Here?" Up and down his creamy white neck.

"Yes."

Each time Harry asked and kissed Draco's voice got a little stronger, a little more desperate and pleading. Harry didn't understand the thrill it caused him to ask for the next spot since he had already kissed it so many times before.

"Here?" This time he brushed his fingers on Draco's perfect pouty lips and he felt the murmur 'yes' before he had even removed them to move in and caress them under his own.

_I suppose that's working well but… how to you navigate uncharted territory? How do I know when I'm going too fast or taking things too slow?_

Harry took a deep, steadying breath before continuing on his whole new journey with Draco.

_Keep it simple._

"Here?" he whispered, undoing a single button on Draco's white shirt and looking up into his gray eyes, touching the spot where the cloth had once lay.

Draco's wry smile was more than answer enough but Harry kept stock still until the customary answer 'yes' was whispered back. He continued down Draco's perfect creamy chest…and stomach until there were no more buttons to undo.

"May I take off your shirt?" Draco's face broke into a wide smile, his eyes glittering in a way that told Harry he was doing everything exactly right.

"Of course." Draco sat up so that Harry could pull the undone shirt over his head and off his arms.

"And can I take off mine?"

Draco's smile cracked into a tiny laugh.

"Please do."

Harry pulled his own black T-shirt off, feeling for the first time ever self-conscious of his body around Draco. He also immediately became painfully aware that Draco really had _excited_ him in a way he hadn't before.

_This,_ he thought, _is about to get a little more risky._

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"Can I keep kissing you?"

_I'd love you to._

"Yes."

Harry's warm body on top of Draco's felt so _good_ that he was beginning to wonder why he had taken so long to keep from doing this. Their lips were hopelessly entwined with each other, tongues getting free reign and bare chests rubbing in ways that made Draco's rapidly hardening cock rub with Harry's through the fabric of both their pants and boxers.

_Oh god, please don't let this move too fast and please, don't let me get too afraid so that I keep it slow. Don't let this stop…_

They both gasped at the moment that they touched, finally breaking the kiss to come back up for air.

"May I remove - "

"Your own pants, Harry. And I'll do mine."

Harry seemed a little stunned by Draco's gradual taking over and a little hopeful that this was a sign that he was more prepared. Draco could only hope that this was the case, that this wasn't about to backfire in his face.

They were both hidden beneath the shadow of the blankets but Harry sat up and pulled them back with him while he fumbled with the tie on his pants.

"Actually, let me do that." Whispered Draco after a few seconds of his own confidence building. He was on his knees, kissing Harry with all his might as his hands slowly undid the tie to his pants and pulled them (with his boxers) and out of sight. Harry was now back on top of Draco, only his own pants and boxers separating them.

Draco pulled his own off with relative ease and threw them over the corner of the bed, a still, calm moment shared between himself and Harry as they both took in and realized the only thing left to do.

"Draco - "

"Harry. I fully trust you; you needn't ask permission any more. But still…be careful. And listen if I tell you to stop, ok?"

"Of course Draco. And if you're not ready - "

"I am. I am, I'm ready. And I want to Harry, I love you and I trust you with all my heart."

Harry leaned back down to kiss Draco, murmuring all the same "Love you too."

_Please, don't remember back then, think of now. Be here, right now, with Harry, in this room, in this bed…_

Harry's kiss gradually deepened, as did his stance over Draco's body. His hard on brushed the inside of Draco's thigh; their chests met and stayed locked close. Harry's arms enveloped Draco as the blondes roamed his back, holding him closer.

"Draco, are you sure?" Harry pulled away from Draco's kiss, their eyes locking in a moment of intimacy rarely seen in the entire world. For the moment that his emerald and Draco's slate gray orbs met a moment of understanding and unity was achieved that they both needed to continue any further.

"Absolutely, and with no one else."

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Harry lowered and pushed himself into Draco bit by bit, stopping whenever his wincing signaled that it was too much. He pulled out nearly all the way and started again, this time kneading Draco's shoulders and keeping his mouth occupied with his own at the same time.

_Oh. My. God._

Nothing could have prepared him for this ultimate feeling: _sex_. Draco was exponential deals better than his own hand could ever, _ever_, have been. He was something to hold and squeeze, to kiss and be kissed in return. He moaned and murmured sweet things and other words that made no sense into Harry's ear, his arms held him tight and his nails dug deep into Harry's skin to leave their marks on him.

"You can go…" Draco meant to say 'faster' but Harry was already picking up speed, gradually increasing the pace of his thrusting and allowing himself deeper into Draco's tight folds. Draco's quickly followed Harry's groans when he took his hand and began to rub his lovers mildly forgotten member in between them.

And then, minutes later Harry's finally found the sweet spot buried deep within Draco.

"Oh god Harry, don't you dare stop…" Draco warned and then groaned loudly as Harry hit his prostate again…. and again.

_Like I would even if I could…_

But sadly, all good things must come to an end. Harry was getting the tingly feeling that signaled his oncoming orgasm. Draco was only seconds behind in his own, rudely biting down into Harry's shoulder to keep from screaming aloud as the moment came. Harry thrust a last few frantic times before his toes curled with pleasure and he came deep, deep into Draco. Draco was only a moment later; the blood rushing from his arms and toes as his sticky mixture spurted between himself and Harry's taut torso.

The two of them simply lay together like that for a moment, both of them trying to catch their breath and revel in what they had just done. Harry pulled out a moment later and rolled off of Draco, vaguely aware on his post coital bliss that he in fact had been nearly suffocating his lover.

"That…was amazing." Draco whispered into his ear. "Thank you Harry, I really do love you…"

Harry could feel the sincerity of this radiating from Draco and in some ways it nearly choked him up.

_He really, really does love me. He trusts me now, he knows that he's got me trough thick and thin. And I've finally got somebody, somebody to really be with. I'll show him off to the world, everyone else doesn't know what they are missing not to be with him…_

"I love you too. Thank you for giving me a chance and…we'll have to find time to do that again sometime soon."

Draco managed only a halfhearted laugh before letting out a long overdue yawn and curling his head into the crook of Harry's shoulder. He was asleep in seconds, followed closely by his effervescent lover.

_How could Hermione and Ron not love Draco when we were meant for each other like this, when this has to be meant to be? How could anyone second-guess him when I love him like this? When I tell the world I'm making it loud and clear that I love Draco Malfoy and nothing, nothing can change that._

Harry's last thought's were among the clearest and most sincerely happy he had ever had as he himself drifted off to sleep, musings of love still dancing through his head straight past the new days sunrise.

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**A/N **: As always, please review!

mintapotter


	26. Red Handed

**A/N:** This chapter was always supposed to be here... I accidentally deleted it one night and was like 'OH bleeping NO!' So anyway, here it is, the rational lead in to the ending...

Thank you to:

**koolmint26, All-knowing Alien, Street-Rats-Unite, Nfinity Nite Monaghan, mars explorer, HAZEL RAAAAHHHH, MyStOrIeS, HandsOff, justmessingwithharry, Hotaru Snape Riddle, meiXtakai, smurff, Lanfear1, brionyjae, oliver1234, xX Konoha Ninja Xx, coolmarauders, fifespice, female half - breed, Megalicious Moony, Cithara, MimiTaylor, Dreaming-Sensations, **&**JadeLilyMalfoy. **You guys all reviewed the last chapter, but your thanks are here for that instead...

Please enjoy this!

**Warning : **SLASH! LEMON! I will say no more…you have been warned!

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**Chapter 26 – Red Handed**

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"Draco?"

"Mmph."

"You're crushing my arm."

"Argh…"

Draco obligingly rolled away from Harry, pulling with him all the comforter and sheets in which the two of them had been coiled together under. Harry was conspicuously naked and undeniably cold at this point and began a tug of war to retrieve even a corner of the blankets.

"Come on Drake, give them up, I'm freezing."

Draco continued to feign sleep but Harry could see the faint smile that he couldn't hide play on his pink lips. Harry stopped tugging at the blankets for a second and since Draco thought he had won so easily his smile grew.

_Fuck, I want to kiss those lips again._

Harry allowed himself to lean in a kiss Draco while his eyes were still closed and he believed he had still won the fight against Harry in seconds. Draco was understandably surprised but more than willing to dive right into the passionate kissing he and Harry had begun only the night before. The earthy smell of Harry was all around him and his skin prickled with the pure delight of being touched by Harry's strong hands.

"Harry, that's the kind of good morning I should wake up to."

Harry pried himself from Draco's lips and smiled.

"Well, my arm was falling asleep and I was getting pins and needles. It wasn't pleasant, mind you and –"

"Harry, shut up."

Draco smoothed out the sheets as best he could and offered a still very nude Harry back under them to join him. Draco didn't seem to notice or care that the both of them were bare but Harry couldn't help but to blush at his current situation.

_Please, do not notice this, please just let it go…_

"Harry…You're blushing aren't you? Oh you are, don't shake your head! I know a few things I could do that could really make you blush…" Draco had grabbed Harry and rolled on top of him, the both of them only covered from the waist up by their comforter. He began to trail kisses down Harry's face and shoulders just as the sun hit their bed and illuminated his hair just the way Harry liked it.

_I've never been so happy. It's a gorgeous sunrise, I have Draco, naked on top of me and apparently feeling considerably naughty…The houses are just waking up and we will too, go make a cup of coffee and lounge around all day…_

Just at that moment in time where Harry thought nothing could go wrong Draco stiffened and sat up, turned around slowly in the bed to a sight Harry never, _never_ could have imagined seeing. It proved that no matter how good things were going for him, they could always turn around 180 degrees and bite him in the ass.

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"Ron, I –"

Harry rolled from under Draco the moment Draco himself had whipped around. He had heard footsteps at the doorway and had turned just in time to watch a cheery Ron bound into the room. Ron's eyes had taken in the obvious scene of the two lovers' mid-kiss and had drained of all cheerfulness and color.

"Ron, please, I can –" Harry continued to stumble on through his words of explanation to Ron as he tried to rip the sheets higher about himself than his waist but the red head was already shaking his head in a silent 'no, this isn't happening' and began to slowly turn from the room. Harry finally wrapped the blanket around himself and held it beneath his arms but Ron had already stepped from the room, slamming the door shut with a finality Harry couldn't bear.

_Oh god, how dim-witted am I to not realize that morning is a stupid time to do this? We should have slept separately last night, poor Harry. He can't lose Ron; he can't lose that friendship over me but…_

Harry had fallen to his knees with the black comforter pooling around him like a puddle of sorrow as Ron had slammed that first door. A second door slamming down the hall caused him to double over and a third made him release his first pent up sob.

"Harry, don't cry over this now. He was just shocked, he'll be fine by tomorrow, give him time to get over it-"

"NO!" Harry pulled away from Draco's softest touch as though electrocuted, stumbling away across the room to throw on a pair of boxers, jeans and a random grey t-shirt.

"You don't understand, this wasn't how it was supposed to be! I can't lose him Draco, I physically can't and… he'll never forgive me for betraying his trust like that, he'll _never_…" Harry was back to square one; sobbing. He sank onto Draco's bed as Draco dressed himself as rapidly as possible before holding him tight

"I can't Draco, I just can't think of losing him and the Weasley's, Hermione…"

"He just needs time Harry. He loves you like a brother, minus Percy. He'd never leave you over this. I'll talk to him-"

"With me. We both will, I won't leave you to be mauled alone. We both knew it was coming someday, right? Might as well be now, seeing as how we have no other options."

Draco rubbed Harry's back for a while before parting him with a quick peck on the check. He left hymns sitting on his bed, wiping the tears from his face and compulsively straightening the bed sheets around him to concentrate on anything but real life. On his way down to the kitchen however Draco finally let him mind wander to the thoughts he had kept at bay all morning.

_What if…what if Ron does sever ties with Harry? What if he and the Weasley's are so old fashioned that they wouldn't let us be together? What will Ron say, what about Hermione? If they cut out Harry, will he cut me out too, to get them back? Am I any more important in his life? Am I even worth this to him?_

"What was all that commotion upstairs?" Draco couldn't help but to look a little scared and stunned that the sound of Ron's slamming doors had traveled all the way to the kitchens and the other residents of the house.

"Uh, a ghoul or something was slamming doors. I'll go and check it out with Harry in a bit. Nothing big…" Draco mentally sighed as Mrs. Weasley took this lie with no further questions. Draco quickly put together a tray with coffee, tea and scones before heading back upstairs to face Harry and much worse, Ron.

"Harry, let's go now before we lose the nerve or he kills something out of anger. Let's just go." Draco kept the rickety bedroom door open with his foot to let Harry through, watching as his eyes darted around with the most fear he had ever seen them filled with.

"Don't be so scared the worst is that he needs time to get over it, right? Nothing worse than that Harry, nothing worse. Or we have to stop sleeping in the same room for the remainder of the summer but I just might make it if that happens." Harry tried to smile and nearly threw up with the effort so as he stretched his fingers to turn the handle to the room in which Ron was hiding he instead to a single steadying breath before plunging straight in.

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"Ron, you've got to let me-"

"How long Harry?"

Harry stood tall in one of the many unused rooms of the Place even though his very bones felt like gelatin. Ron was sitting on a bed that looked as though it should have rotted away sometime during the 1800's and was simply hanging in there for the hell of it. He ran his fingers through his already mussed red mop, staring hard at the floor to avoid Harry's fearful and mostly saddened eyes.

"How long what?" he croaked back, his voice deserting him again in a time of desperate need.

"Were you two …you know…" Ron was counting the scratches along the length of the floorboards, ignoring the feeling of Draco's piercing gaze on him. Draco held his breakfast tray as though it were a lifeline, something to throw at Ron should he decide to attack out of rage. It wasn't a completely bizarre scenario.

"Since the beginning of the summer, nearly two months."

Ron shook his head at this, up and down a little at a time, soaking it up and not really wanting to believe it.

"And how long were you going to keep this a great dirty secret?" He whispered, finally reaching the 50 mark of scratches gouged into the wood and looking up into Harry's eyes for the first time since the conversation had begun. Harry's blood wanted to stop flowing, to freeze and simply congeal where it was. His voice wanted to plea for Ron to believe him and to keep him around, his eyes wanted to cry and beg, He swallowed and spoke the only true words he could think.

"As long as we had to. As long as we could, I guess."'

Ron didn't break the stare and neither did Harry. Both could see hundreds of mixed up emotions between the infinite layers of their opposite's eyes, but neither could pinpoint what they meant. All Ron wanted to see was 'I'm sorry' and all Harry was looking for was "It's ok' but they couldn't pinpoint that which they needed most.

_Please, if there are God's out there let Ron take me back. I couldn't stand life if I didn't have him around to joke with and have with me when everything else is crazy and no-one else stands behind me. I need Ron, like I need air and water, like I need Draco…_

"I wanted to tell you though, not just let you figure it out. I wanted to so bad but…I was scared you'd up and leave or something, and that you wouldn't understand. That I wouldn't be able to explain what it was… And Draco thought it was too dangerous to make enemies over this right now when we both already have more than enough to deal with now. It's all so complicated and…it was never supposed to happen like this. Things in my life tend not to end quite the way I'd like it." Harry finally seemed to lose the feeling in his legs and sat heavily on the low, dust mote infested dresser behind him. He rubbed his face with his hands, covering his eyes from showing the shining tears that were building there.

Draco couldn't bear to watch Harry fall apart all alone over this and he placed the tray delicately on the dusty floor before sitting beside him on the ancient makeup dresser and placing and hand on his shoulder. It was simply kind and supportive and also the first true signs of affection Ron had seen Draco give Harry since everything had came out. It wasn't making out for fun, it was deep. It was true and Ron hit on the idea that that was what Harry needed most of all. Somebody who truly cared, no matter who was watching or what the consequences were.

"Harry I'll get over the shock of this in…well give me a week and we'll get back to that but….since when did you like blokes? There was Cho for God sakes, where does this all come in?"

Harry's shoulder's fell as though they had each been lifted of a 100 pound weight. He sighed just enough that Draco noticed, that Draco knew it was all going to be fine now as he squeezed his shoulder. But Harry couldn't help but take a second to really think _when_ this had all come about.

_It wasn't a time or a choice or a thing it was…random act of the day? I can't explain it, Draco's the first, and it hasn't been a growing thing since first year or anything. It's just…_

"It's not so much that I _like _blokes in general, just happens that I _love_ Draco as a person. Just him, no one else." Draco couldn't help but beam, his heart nearly breaking from the simple truth of being loved by Harry being known by someone else. It marked him as something special, something worth having and holding onto.

Ron's brain was still in shock of something like this coming up and between him and his best friends, to have the _it_ be Draco Malfoy, bane of his life since he was 11 years old. He could go through every memory, every second of the past 2 months and see where and when they could have been doing, when he had appeared so oblivious.

But at the exact same time he knew, somewhere deep down that Harry wasn't stupid when it came to trusting to people. That he had very few people around him to trust, that he needed somebody more than just a friend. And he knew that Harry, this Harry, the one with Draco was _happy_. He was in _love,_ something he couldn't take back or change.

"Harry," Ron began slowly, his mind and mouth still not quite connecting, "you're happy and I guess that makes me happy for you. And it'll take some getting used to but…its fine Harry, really it is. And I can' even get mad at you because I didn't tell you that-"

Ron didn't even get the words out before Draco exploded at him.

"Oh, you and Hermione! You little bugger, getting all pissed off and you two are probably of at it like rabbits all the time and-"

"That's great Ron. And about fucking time too, any longer and I might have locked you two in a room together." Harry interjected before Draco could go any further and wreak any accidental damage.

"And Ron, I think you should tell Mione, although she doubtless already figured it out." They pondered this and shared a communal anger for a moment that yes, she probably did already know. "Only thing is that we both only have a few days before school and I don't want it all over and out and weird between everyone before we leave so-"

"Let's send Mum a letter instead. She'll go crazy if she finds out about all four of us while we're still here. Start knitting babies booties or something…" Harry couldn't help but laugh at the thought of Mrs. Weasley's reaction to them all, his worry trickling away in seconds, just as fast as it had come.

"She won't be…mad or anything will she?"

Ron had gotten up and was shaking the dust from his trousers before he responded.

"Are you kidding me? She'll be sobbing all over the place my guess is, and then she'll send you something in the mail as a present and start dreaming of weddings and such. You two get off so easy though, Mione and I…it'll be 'crazy Mum' hell at my place for years. I can see it now and maybe it's better not to say anything."

Harry followed Ron from the room, Draco trailing only a little behind him and still glowing from the Harry's statement of simple love from him.

"So, you tell Mione now and we'll all send letters from the relative safety of school. What do we tell the school?"

Ron shrugged his shoulders noncommittally and began to lope down the staircase, the lovely smells of bacon and eggs drawing him downwards.

"No clue, it's your call."

Harry stood at the top of the staircase, his options of telling the school becoming as black and white as he and Draco's contrasting hair.

"Do we tell them? Make it public?"

_What if he hasn't changed? What if we go all year without being able to hold each other and kiss in front of anyone but Ron and Mione? What if we spend all out time together and still can't be together the way we need?_

Draco had been quietly supportive of Harry through the entire session with Ron, but had been thinking his exact same thoughts the entire way through.

"You love me, and I love you." He began softly, kissing that sweet spot he had found just beneath Harry's ear. "You've told Ron and he'll tell Hermione and they'll still care about you. And the one's who don't understand… well they're just not worth having in the first place, are they?"

This was as open an answer of 'Yes, we'll tell the school' from Draco was going to get but after the trial of kisses down Harry's neck continued he found he didn't really need anything more.

"So we'll tell them all. Shock them, more like. And you'll probably have to move out of Slytherin, and perhaps Gryffindor might kick me out…maybe we can actually be together. Maybe…"

"Maybe we won't tell them Harry. Maybe I'll just kiss you madly at the Great Feast on the first night. At the Gryffindor table. Or maybe I'll stand up at the table the following morning instead, pronounce my love and then snog you while I have an audience.

"You wouldn't." Harry was astonished and more than mildly scared as he didn't put either past what Draco Malfoy was capable of.

"Oh yes, yes I will. Unless I think of something better between now and then."

Harry shook his head but smiled, not caring if Draco's ideas of coming out involved mid airs make out session at the first Gryffindor/Slytherin game. He couldn't have cared if the roof over their heads fell in because he was floating 10 feet in the air and felt as though he was never, ever coming back down.

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Please, as always, drop me a line.

luv,

mintapotter


	27. When No One Hears Conclusion

**Title:** When No One Hears

**Author:** mintapotter

**Overview:** Draco finds Harry in the saddest of positions, and something inside him changes forever.

**A/N: **Thank you to the beautiful reviewers who have stuck through a lot with me: **HandsOff,** **confusedpotter,** **Hotaru Snape Riddle, saikoXcrazy,** **smurff,** **Lanfear1,** **brionyjae,** **oliver1234,** **RanmasAngel,** **coolmarauders,** **fifespice,** **female half - breed,** **Meg Finn,** **Cithara,** **MimiTaylor,** **Dreaming-Sensations, **&**JadeLilyMalfoy**!

**Chapter 27 - When No One Hears**

"Are you _UP_? We need to be ready to go boys, we only have 20 minutes and this is not a joke!"

Mrs. Weasley was the closest she had ever been to having an aneurism on the morning of the departure to Hogwarts. Ron, Hermione, Ginny, Harry and Draco had all awoken plenty early but by the time each had showered, collected books for the nether regions of the house and figured out whose new quills were whose her schedule had been blown to shreds.

"Get into line so you can be disillusioned, and stop fussing Ginny! I'll send the things you leave behind! Get into line, go!"

They all hastily arranged themselves into a line in front of the door to 12 Grimmauld Place. Mad Eye Moody stood at the door, nearly yelling the incantation for the disillusionment charm over each of them to be heard over the din of Hedwig and Pig both screeching madly as their cages were levitated across the room. Mr. Weasley and Tonks were both dragging the trunks out the front door as the newly invisible trio and Draco exited the house.

"Reckon she'd faint if I told her now?" Draco whispered to Harry just as he was ducking to enter the Ministry appointed car, the thought of laying such a thing on Mrs. Weasley at a time like this causing him to bang his head loudly against the door frame.

"She wouldn't only faint; she might have a heart attack and die. We already wrote the letter, so did Ron and Mione. I think we should give her a full week after this catastrophe."

Harry could barely see the shimmering outlines of Ron and Hermione join himself and Draco on the bench seat in the back of the magically expanded car. Ginny sat in a seat one in front of them with her Mother beside her and Mr. Weasley and the driver to the very front.

"A week Harry? I'd give it a month and even then I'd feel bad about it." Ron whispered from Harry's immediate left.

"Feel bad about what?" Mrs. Weasley snapped as the car screeched forwards, the driver harassed to get his very precious cargo to the Hogwarts Express in less than 10 minutes time.

"Nothing Mum, absolutely nothing." Ron immediately responded, thankful the in his disillusioned state his Mother wasn't able to see the guilty look plastered on his face.

_This won't be nothing! This is huge, explosive, massive, scandalous… this is exactly what I want. I want the world to know how I love him and if they can't handle it then fuck them! And if I can hold it all in for another week it'll be an act of God…_

Draco had to fight down butterflies every time he even thought about telling the world his greatest secret to date. That he, the son of a Death Eater and honorary Prince of Slytherin was completely and madly in love with the one and only Harry Potter.

He could feel Harry's warm hand slip into his own and it led only to increase the number of butterflies exponentially. But it was the comfort that he lived for, the one thing he could count on to always be there, to be his constant.

_This is why we're going to do it; this is why we're even here still. Still together, after all this…_

Draco didn't want to think of all the things to come out of his most explosive summer, of all the lies and inevitable truths that had changed how he and everyone around him viewed each other. Every detail about his family, every secret of his own had been laid bare and he was thankful that he was among people who cared rather than judged.

Draco hated to think of how often he or Harry had let the little, stupid and insignificant things rip them apart. He was hopeful that maybe after the craziness they had endured through two months would only make them stronger in the 10 to come. That maybe everything that was in store for him at Hogwarts would be the relative calm after the storm.

_I mean, how long can people talk about the two of us being together? Even the best gossip has an expiry date… maybe they'll think of something else to talk about after a month…or two…_

"We're nearly there everyone! You're staying disillusioned until we reach the platform so don't worry about your trunks, we'll grab them. Just run the train, don't look back!" Mr. Weasley's words ended just as the car stopped in front of the train station. Every door was thrown open so that they could make the final run for it.

"Come on! Don't tell me that's as fast as you can run!" Harry tightened his grip on Draco's hand and pulled him on a full out sprint, tugging him within centimeters of other slightly alarmed Muggles on his way. Draco could hear the slapping of Ron and Hermione's shoes somewhere to the side of them, and Ginny's not to far to his right but he wasn't concentrating on much but the hand gripping his.

_Oh, like I'd possibly let you win…_

"You absolute-"

"Gorgeously amazing sprint master? I'm sure that was what you were thinking?"

Harry sat and stared up at Draco from the floor of their private compartment, still panting from their mad dash across the platform.

"I was thinking 'insufferable bugger' but I suppose yours works just as well."

Draco smiled in spite of himself, his breathing and heartbeat slowly returning to normal.

"I suppose mine works twice as well! And since when were you a terrible loser?"

Harry pulled himself up onto a seat as the train began to gain speed only to grab Draco by his waist and pull him down beside him.

"I'm not a terrible loser, I'm simply out of shape and I let you beat me because I felt like you should win at something."

Draco laughed, slapping Harry's arm in annoyance. "You just suck at something, admit it."

"Alright, I admit that you won. Can't you be the gracious winner and at least give me a kiss for trying so hard?"

_Ok, so that was a pathetic plea for a kiss but I think I'll do anything that works…_

"Maybe in all my graciousness I could give you a little peck…" Draco leaned into Harry and after a good thirty seconds of entanglement was more than thankful that the two of them were both still completely disillusioned.

"Harry? Draco? You two in here?" Hermione's bushy brown head poked around the corner just as the two boys had decided to come up for air, just enough time for the both of them to move an inch apart and answer her coherently.

"Yeah we are Mione and if you could just disillusion us that would be great…" Hermione had already begun the charm to make them visible and after the peculiar shiver ran down their spines both the black and blonde haired teenagers were visible.

"Ron and I have to patrol the halls for a bit more and then we'll be back to see you two…" Hermione pinched the bridge of her nose, the thought of keeping first years and Ron in line already tiring her. "And I never thought I'd have said this but I wish that you had kept the post as Slytherin Prefect Draco, you're loads better than that Zabini boy."

Draco smiled in thanks for the small compliment but shook his head in a silent but firm no.

"I'll be lucky if the Slytherin's will even allow me to stay in the dungeons any longer, let alone be a prefect. I'll take the rest of it as it comes I guess, see how everything turns out. It was just one thing too many to deal with for the year."

_And this way you'll have more time with me and less doing Prefect duties during the year you bugger…_ was all Harry could think of.

"Well I'll be off but I'll try and get us back by the time the food trolley comes round. And if we aren't-"

"I'll grab loads for Ron and you Mione, no worries."

Hermione sighed as she closed the door of the compartment behind her because of the sound an echoing dung bomb exploding went off in a hallway nearby.

"They just get worse every single year…"

The silence left after Hermione departed was thick between Draco and Harry, the kind of silence the two of them only kept when something important was bound to be brought up.

_Nothing can ruin this year; nothing could possibly go wrong or be as bad as the summer was…_

"Draco?" Harry whispered, finding the hand of his lover and clutching it closely. "Don't worry about how the year goes. If you can't stay with the Slytherin's then there's tons of room around the castle. And we can be out in the open in a week or whenever you want… this year's going to be different Drake, I can tell. I've got you."

Draco flicked a nonchalant hand to close the drapes of their now private compartment and laid his head softly onto Harry's shoulder, nodding his response.

"It's funny but at about this time I'd only be waiting for you to barge in here and make fun of Ron and Hermione before leaving again. It was getting a little predictable."

Draco chuckled quietly, "As were your responses Harry, the fun of it all was losing its edge. In secret I was only bored of that little routine and that's the real reason I went to your house this summer. To shake you up a bit before the train ride."

Harry couldn't help to play with Draco's soft hair any more than he could to smile.

"Oh is that so? I thought it was all a carefully planned reconnaissance mission to get more dirt on me then there already was fluttering about. You were all in it for getting the gossip, right?"

_Don't let this go downhill! Shut up you raving idiot! Don't remember all the way back then now that you're on your way to a new school year, a year with Draco and your friends by your side…_

"I was in it to see a day in the life of the other side, to see how you all functioned. I was expecting a mansion and girls doting on you and a fan club. Not exactly… well your Uncle's in jail for years and years now, I suppose."

The silence that followed was deadlier than the once that had preceded it, the tension building in Harry as the seconds ticked past. He slowly removed his hand from petting Draco's hair and cleared his throat to continue talking.

"If you hadn't shown up I don't think that I would have told anyone. I wouldn't have, no matter how many times I had thought about it. I'm sure it had to be fate of something that you showed up Draco…"

Harry stared resolutely out the rain fogged windows, drowning his memories in the water drenched scenery rushing past. Draco couldn't help but to hold onto to Harry's hand a little tighter, observing him when he was most oblivious.

"Fate would explain a lot because if I hadn't found you it would have taken me ages to leave home, even when that was all I wanted to do. And it landed my Father in jail too, a life sentence for everything put together. A life in Azkaban…"

Harry remained silent long after Draco had finished speaking. Draco began to wonder if he was in some sort of trance from staring out the window so long but at the moment he was ready to ask Harry opened his mouth.

"Do you think this love that we got out of our massively fucked up lives is equal to them being put away for life, for years? If we had both just grown up happy and had never met like that, never had to recreate a relationship, would that have been equal to have had a happy childhood, to have had a normal life otherwise? Can you even compare the two?"

_What's Harry even asking of me? If I'd trade him to have had a happy life with my Father, if my childhood was equal to having Harry around? If the jail time makes up for…everything?_

"Harry I….I can't compare. Love with you and abuse by you are the two extremes and I wish that one hadn't created the other, but in a way it did. I can't change what happened to either of us, and if I could I don't think I would because we need that in a way. It's the reason that we're here. If I had seen nothing at you house-"

"Their house. The Dursley's, not mine." Harry whispered.

"Well yes, their house. If I had seen nothing than would I have changed sides and left home and fallen in love with you later? How am I to know? I can't compare anything Harry, if I try then my whole life will simply be a series of 'what if's'?"

Harry nodded, understanding coming slowly. "I guess I can't look back because that doesn't change anything does it?"

_Yes, Harry, it doesn't change anything at all, not by a long run. Stop beating yourself up over the past, you can't be responsible for everything…_

"It's kind of like that joke about if a tree falls in the forest does anybody hear it? When no one hears something, when no one knew about either of our problems does that mean that it wasn't happening? If I had never known what had happened to you would that mean that to me nothing awful had ever occurred? Would we even be here if it wasn't for the things we've learned?"

Harry finally turned to look into Draco's ever stormy grey and eyes and after all the turmoil and questioning his mind could spit out; he finally came to a conclusion.

Draco wrapped both his hands around Harry's face and kissed him as deeply and as passionately as he ever had. Harry didn't hear Ron and Hermione slip the compartment door open and back closed and to him that simply meant that they hadn't come around yet. He didn't care about any of his past problems, about anything that he had caused.

What he did care about was Draco Malfoy's delicate self. He cared immensely about his soft skin and light hair, about his grey eyes and soft lips. He cared about every square, living inch of the boy he kissed back and when they parted he had his answer, as clear as day.

_Yes._

"Harry, this can't be coincidence. You and me, we're more than just fate and chance. I would have fallen head over heels for you eventually, even if it took me 5 or 10 years to get the courage to say that I love you. It wouldn't matter about our pasts together and apart, the simple fact of the matter is that we're meant for each other."

"And I love you." Harry whispered back.

"I know. And I love you more or else I wouldn't have stuck around, now would I?"

**A/N: ****NEW: DEC 13 2010: **To all who enjoyed this story, I offer you something new. A complete novel, original fiction (but just as dark and dirty, as well as slash as WNoH). You can find it at this is our blood dot tumblr dot com.

Love always,

mintapotter


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